This time Eddie sat there and did not try to get up. He knew there were about nine quarts of blood in his body and he must have lost at least a quart by now.
George readjusted his high hat. He took a step towards the door but never reached it. A big redwood bookend took off from an end-table and thudded against the side of his head. His high hat fell off and he sat down next to Eddie, muttering something about hitting him from behind.
The voice said, I couldn't bear to let you take a beating. If you can't defend yourself, then I've got to do it for you.
For the first time a concrete thought on all this came to Eddie—perhaps it was a girl, just an ordinary girl, only she was invisible. He had seen a movie once and while the invisible man in it had remained invisible, if you put some clothing on him you could see his shape.
Eddie ran around the room with George's high hat, trying to find an invisible head. But after a time he felt silly. The hat kept falling to the floor every time he tried to put it on something.
The voice giggled. You're wasting your time, Eddie. I'm not invisible, not in the way you mean. Now that you didn't marry that Judy-thing, you have no ties. Right?
"Umm."
No parents?
"Nope."
No close relatives of any type?