mortis, Braile told me, had been complete in less than an hour-an astonishingly short time. I made the
necessary arrangements for the autopsy, and took Braile home with me to snatch a few hours sleep. It is
difficult to convey by words the peculiarly unpleasant impression the whole occurrence had made upon
me. I can only say that I was as grateful for Braile's company as he seemed to be for mine.
When I awoke, the nightmarish oppression still lingered, though not so strongly. It was about two when
we began the autopsy. I lifted the sheet from Peters' body with noticeable hesitation. I stared at his face
with amazement. All diabolism had been wiped away. It was serene, unlined-the face of a man who had
died peacefully, with no agony either of body or mind. I lifted his hand, it was limp, the whole body
flaccid, the rigor gone.
It was then, I think, that I first felt full conviction I was dealing with an entirely new, or at least unknown,