A faint greenish glow began within the room. At first it was like the flickering phosphorescence one sees

upon a decaying log. It waxed and waned, waxed and waned, but grew ever stronger. My room became

plain. The chandelier gleamed like a decaying emerald-

There was a little face at the window! A doll's face! My heart leaped, then curdled with despair. I

thought: "McCann has failed! It is the end!"

The doll looked at me, grinning. Its face was smooth shaven, that of a man about forty. The nose was

long, the mouth wide and thin-lipped. The eyes were close-set under bushy brows. They glittered, red as

rubies.

The doll crept over the sill. It slid, head-first, into the room. It stood for a moment on its head, legs

waving. It somersaulted twice. It came to its feet, one little hand at its lips, red eyes upon mine-waiting.