"Well?" he said harshly.
She drew away from him fearfully.
"What wickedness is this?" she shuddered.
"None of mine," he answered.
The vacant eyes rested on them with a fixed stare, completely devoid of intelligence. The huddled figure evinced no sign of life. It appeared to be unconscious of their presence. Copplestone advanced a few paces; but the woman hung back, horrified.
"Is that ... a living thing?" she whispered.
He laughed—an unnatural, metallic laugh.
"Yes," he said—"it's living ... with as much life as its sins have left it, and its rotten body can hold."
He turned back to her.
"Come nearer," he said. "There is nothing to be afraid of."