Chapter 23: Pepper

I Was Seated In My Chair, Back Again In This Old Study. My Glance Wandered ‘Round The Room. For A Minute, It Had A Strange, Quivery Appearance--Unreal And Unsubstantial. This Disappeared, And I Saw That Nothing Was Altered In Any Way. I Looked Toward The End Window--The Blind Was Up.

I Rose To My Feet, Shakily. As I Did So, A Slight Noise, In The Direction Of The Door, Attracted My Attention. I Glanced Toward It. For A Short Instant, It Appeared To Me That It Was Being Closed, Gently. I Stared, And Saw That I Must Have Been Mistaken--It Seemed Closely Shut.

With A Succession Of Efforts, I Trod My Way To The Window, And Looked Out. The Sun Was Just Rising, Lighting Up The Tangled Wilderness Of Gardens. For, Perhaps, A Minute, I Stood, And Stared. I Passed My Hand, Confusedly, Across My Forehead.

Presently, Amid The Chaos Of My Senses, A Sudden Thought Came To Me; I Turned, Quickly, And Called To Pepper. There Was No Answer, And I Stumbled Across The Room, In A Quick Access Of Fear. As I Went, I Tried To Frame His Name; But My Lips Were Numb. I Reached The Table, And Stooped Down To Him, With A Catching At My Heart. He Was Lying In The Shadow Of The Table, And I Had Not Been Able To See Him, Distinctly, From The Window. Now, As I Stooped, I Took My Breath, Shortly. There Was No Pepper; Instead, I Was Reaching Toward An Elongated, Little Heap Of Grey, Ashlike Dust...

I Must Have Remained, In That Half-Stooped Position, For Some Minutes. I Was Dazed--Stunned. Pepper Had Really Passed Into The Land Of Shadows.