Chapter 11

In the “Coach and Horses”

5 min

Now in order clearly to understand what had happened in the inn, it is necessary to go back to the moment when Mr. Marvel first came into view of Mr. Huxter’s window.

To understand what happened in the inn, we must go back to when Mr. Marvel first appeared outside Mr. Huxter’s window.

At that precise moment Mr. Cuss and Mr. Bunting were in the parlour. They were seriously investigating the strange occurrences of the morning, and were, with Mr. Hall’s permission, making a thorough examination of the Invisible Man’s belongings. Jaffers had partially recovered from his fall and had gone home in the charge of his sympathetic friends. The stranger’s scattered garments had been removed by Mrs. Hall and the room tidied up. And on the table under the window where the stranger had been wont to work, Cuss had hit almost at once on three big books in manuscript labelled “Diary.”

At that exact moment, Mr. Cuss and Mr. Bunting were in the parlour. They were investigating the strange events of the morning in earnest. With Mr. Hall’s permission, they were thoroughly examining the Invisible Man’s belongings. Jaffers had partly recovered from his fall and gone home in the care of his sympathetic friends. Mrs. Hall had gathered up the stranger’s scattered clothes and tidied the room. Cuss had almost immediately found three large handwritten books labelled “Diary.” They were on the table under the window where the stranger usually worked.

“Diary!” said Cuss, putting the three books on the table. “Now, at any rate, we shall learn something.” The Vicar stood with his hands on the table.

“Diary!” said Cuss, putting the three books on the table. “Now, at least, we’ll learn something.” The Vicar stood with his hands on the table.

“Diary,” repeated Cuss, sitting down, putting two volumes to support the third, and opening it. “H’m—no name on the fly-leaf. Bother!—cypher. And figures.”

“Diary,” Cuss repeated. He sat down, propped the third volume on the other two, and opened it. “Hmm, no name on the first page. Bother! It’s in code. And there are numbers.”

The vicar came round to look over his shoulder.

The vicar came over to look over his shoulder.

Cuss turned the pages over with a face suddenly disappointed. “I’m—dear me! It’s all cypher, Bunting.”

Cuss turned the pages, his face suddenly disappointed. “I’m... Oh dear! It’s all in code, Bunting.”

“There are no diagrams?” asked Mr. Bunting. “No illustrations throwing light—”

“There are no diagrams?” asked Mr. Bunting. “No illustrations that explain things...”

“See for yourself,” said Mr. Cuss. “Some of it’s mathematical and some of it’s Russian or some such language (to judge by the letters), and some of it’s Greek. Now the Greek I thought you—”

“See for yourself,” said Mr. Cuss. “Some of it’s mathematical, and some of it’s Russian or a similar language, judging by the letters. Some of it’s Greek. Now, I thought you could read the Greek...”

“Of course,” said Mr. Bunting, taking out and wiping his spectacles and feeling suddenly very uncomfortable—for he had no Greek left in his mind worth talking about; “yes—the Greek, of course, may furnish a clue.”

“Of course,” said Mr. Bunting, taking out and wiping his glasses. He suddenly felt very uncomfortable, because he remembered hardly any Greek worth mentioning. “Yes, the Greek, of course, may provide a clue.”

“I’ll find you a place.”

“I’d rather glance through the volumes first,” said Mr. Bunting, still wiping. “A general impression first, Cuss, and then, you know, we can go looking for clues.”

“I’d rather look through the books first,” said Mr. Bunting, still wiping. “Get a general impression first, Cuss, and then, you know, we can look for clues.”

He coughed, put on his glasses, arranged them fastidiously, coughed again, and wished something would happen to avert the seemingly inevitable exposure. Then he took the volume Cuss handed him in a leisurely manner. And then something did happen.

He coughed, put on his glasses, and adjusted them carefully. He coughed again and wished something would happen to prevent what seemed like certain exposure. Then he took the book Cuss handed him, without hurrying. And then something did happen.

The door opened suddenly.

Both gentlemen started violently, looked round, and were relieved to see a sporadically rosy face beneath a furry silk hat. “Tap?” asked the face, and stood staring.

Both men jumped, startled, and looked around. They were relieved to see a face with patches of red beneath a furry silk hat. “Tap?” asked the face, staring at them.

“No,” said both gentlemen at once.

“No,” both men said at once.

“Over the other side, my man,” said Mr. Bunting. And “Please shut that door,” said Mr. Cuss, irritably.

“On the other side, my man,” said Mr. Bunting. “Please shut that door,” said Mr. Cuss irritably.

“All right,” said the intruder, as it seemed in a low voice curiously different from the huskiness of its first inquiry. “Right you are,” said the intruder in the former voice. “Stand clear!” and he vanished and closed the door.

“All right,” the intruder seemed to say in a low voice. It was strangely different from the husky voice that had asked the first question. “Right you are,” the intruder said in the earlier voice. “Stand clear!” Then he vanished and closed the door.

“A sailor, I should judge,” said Mr. Bunting. “Amusing fellows, they are. Stand clear! indeed. A nautical term, referring to his getting back out of the room, I suppose.”

“A sailor, I would guess,” said Mr. Bunting. “They’re amusing fellows. ‘Stand clear!’ indeed. I suppose that’s a nautical term for getting back out of the room.”

“I daresay so,” said Cuss. “My nerves are all loose to-day. It quite made me jump—the door opening like that.”

“I suppose so,” said Cuss. “My nerves are all on edge today. The door opening like that really made me jump.”

Mr. Bunting smiled as if he had not jumped. “And now,” he said with a sigh, “these books.”

Mr. Bunting smiled as if he had not been startled. “And now,” he said with a sigh, “these books.”

Someone sniffed as he did so.

“One thing is indisputable,” said Bunting, drawing up a chair next to that of Cuss. “There certainly have been very strange things happen in Iping during the last few days—very strange. I cannot of course believe in this absurd invisibility story—”

“One thing is certain,” said Bunting, pulling up a chair next to Cuss. “Some very strange things have certainly happened in Iping over the last few days. Very strange things. Of course, I can't believe this absurd story about invisibility.”

“It’s incredible,” said Cuss—“incredible. But the fact remains that I saw—I certainly saw right down his sleeve—”

“It’s incredible,” said Cuss. “Incredible. But the fact remains that I saw. I definitely saw right down his sleeve.”

“But did you—are you sure? Suppose a mirror, for instance— hallucinations are so easily produced. I don’t know if you have ever seen a really good conjuror—”

“But did you... are you sure? What about a mirror, for example? Hallucinations are so easily produced. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a really good magician...”

“I won’t argue again,” said Cuss. “We’ve thrashed that out, Bunting. And just now there’s these books—Ah! here’s some of what I take to be Greek! Greek letters certainly.”

“I won’t argue again,” said Cuss. “We’ve settled that, Bunting. And right now there are these books. Ah! Here’s some of what I think is Greek! Greek letters, certainly.”

He pointed to the middle of the page. Mr. Bunting flushed slightly and brought his face nearer, apparently finding some difficulty with his glasses. Suddenly he became aware of a strange feeling at the nape of his neck. He tried to raise his head, and encountered an immovable resistance. The feeling was a curious pressure, the grip of a heavy, firm hand, and it bore his chin irresistibly to the table. “Don’t move, little men,” whispered a voice, “or I’ll brain you both!” He looked into the face of Cuss, close to his own, and each saw a horrified reflection of his own sickly astonishment.

He pointed to the middle of the page. Mr. Bunting blushed slightly and leaned closer, apparently having trouble with his glasses. Suddenly, he felt something strange on the back of his neck. He tried to raise his head, but something held it firmly in place. It was the grip of a heavy, firm hand, pressing his chin down to the table. “Don’t move, little men,” a voice whispered, “or I’ll smash both your heads in!” He looked at Cuss, whose face was close to his own. Each saw his own horrified, sickly surprise reflected in the other’s face.

“I’m sorry to handle you so roughly,” said the Voice, “but it’s unavoidable.”

“I’m sorry for handling you so roughly,” said the Voice, “but I can’t avoid it.”

“Since when did you learn to pry into an investigator’s private memoranda,” said the Voice; and two chins struck the table simultaneously, and two sets of teeth rattled.

“Since when did you learn to snoop through an investigator’s private notes?” said the Voice. Two chins hit the table at once, and two sets of teeth rattled.

“Since when did you learn to invade the private rooms of a man in misfortune?” and the concussion was repeated.

“Since when did you learn to barge into the private rooms of a man in trouble?” And there was another crash.

“Where have they put my clothes?”

“Listen,” said the Voice. “The windows are fastened and I’ve taken the key out of the door. I am a fairly strong man, and I have the poker handy—besides being invisible. There’s not the slightest doubt that I could kill you both and get away quite easily if I wanted to—do you understand? Very well. If I let you go will you promise not to try any nonsense and do what I tell you?”

“Listen,” said the Voice. “The windows are locked, and I’ve taken the key out of the door. I’m a fairly strong man, and I have the poker handy. I’m invisible, too. There’s no doubt that I could kill you both and escape easily if I wanted to. Do you understand? Good. If I let you go, will you promise not to try anything foolish and to do what I tell you?”

The vicar and the doctor looked at one another, and the doctor pulled a face. “Yes,” said Mr. Bunting, and the doctor repeated it. Then the pressure on the necks relaxed, and the doctor and the vicar sat up, both very red in the face and wriggling their heads.

The vicar and the doctor looked at each other, and the doctor made a face. “Yes,” said Mr. Bunting, and the doctor repeated it. Then the pressure on their necks eased, and they sat up. Both were very red in the face and wriggled their heads.

“Please keep sitting where you are,” said the Invisible Man. “Here’s the poker, you see.”

“Please stay seated where you are,” said the Invisible Man. “You see, I have the poker.”

“When I came into this room,” continued the Invisible Man, after presenting the poker to the tip of the nose of each of his visitors, “I did not expect to find it occupied, and I expected to find, in addition to my books of memoranda, an outfit of clothing. Where is it? No—don’t rise. I can see it’s gone. Now, just at present, though the days are quite warm enough for an invisible man to run about stark, the evenings are quite chilly. I want clothing—and other accommodation; and I must also have those three books.”

“When I came into this room,” the Invisible Man continued, after pointing the poker at each visitor’s nose, “I did not expect to find anyone here. I expected to find my notebooks and a set of clothes. Where are the clothes? No, don’t get up. I can see they’re gone. Right now, the days are warm enough for an invisible man to run around naked, but the evenings are quite chilly. I want clothes and other accommodations, and I must also have those three books.”