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219
Now, I say — berättar mördaren — there came to my ears a
low. dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes wheii enveloped in
cotton. I knew t h a t sound well, too. It was the beating of the old
man’s heart. It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimu-
lates the soldier into courage. But even yet I refrained and kept
still. I scarcely breathed. I held the lantern motionless. I tried how
steadily I could maintain the ray upon the eye. Meantime the hellish
tattoo of the heart increased. It grew quicker and quicker, and louder
and louder every instant .... And now a new anxiety seazed me —
the sound would be heard by a neighbour! ^
Så kastar han sig över den gamle och kväver honom:
But, for many minutes, the heart beat on with a muffled sound
.... At length it ceased. The old man was dead .... I placed my
hand upon the heart and held it there many minutes. There was no
pulsation. He was stone dead. His eye would trouble me no more.
Efter dådet ställer mördaren allt i ordning i rummet
coh döljer med stor skicklighet den mördades lik under
golvet.
När senare polisen kommer, ger dess inspektion intet
resultat, och mördarens sätt har övertygat polismännen om
att han är oskyldig. Då ingiver the imp of the per-
verse mördaren en idé, som skall bli ödesdiger för ho-
nom. Han ber polismännen sitta ner och prata med honom;
själv sätter han sig på en stol placerad rätt över stället där
Hket ligger. Ett glatt samtal kommer i gång:
But, ere long, I felt myself getting påle and wished them gone.
My head ached, and I fancied a ringing in my ears: but still they
sat and still chatted. The ringing became more distinct: — it con-
tinued and became more distinct: I talked more freely to get rid of
the feeling: but it continued and gained definiteness — until, at length,
I found that the noise was not within my ears. No doubt I now
grew v e r y påle; — but I talked more fluently, and with a heightened
voice. Yet the sound increased — and what could I do? It was a
low dull, quick sound — much such a sound as a watch
makes w h e n enveloped in cotton The noise steadilv
V, 91 o. f.
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