And, leading the way, she went across to the parlour door and knocked. As she opened the door, she saw her visitor seated in the armchair in front of the fire, asleep, it seemed, with his bandaged head leaning on one side. The only light in the room was from the fire. Everything seemed hidden in shadows. But for a second it seemed to her that the man she was looking at had a great, wide-open mouth, a mouth that swallowed the whole of the lower part of his face. It was too ugly to believe, the white head, the staring glasses — and then a great hole. He moved, sat up straight and put up his hand. She opened the door wide, so that the room was lighter, and she saw him more clearly, with the napkin held to his face, just as she had seen him hold it before. The shadows, she thought, had tricked her.
'Would you mind, sir, if this man came to look at the clock, sir?' she said. 'Look at the clock?' he said, staring round sleepily and speaking over his hand; and then, more fully awake,'Certainly.' Mrs Hall went away to get a lamp, and he rose and stretched himself. Then came the light, and at the door Mr Teddy Henfrey was met by this bandaged person. He was, he said later, 'quite shocked'. 'Good afternoon,' said the stranger, staring at him — as Mr Henfrey said — 'like a fish'. 'I hope,' said Mr Henfrey, 'that you don't mind.' 'Not at all,' said the stranger. 'Though I understood,' he said, turning to Mrs Hall, 'that this room was to be mine for my own use.' 'I thought, sir,' said Mrs Hall, 'you'd like the clock—' 'Certainly,' said the stranger, 'certainly; but at other times I would like to be left alone.' He turned round with his back to the fireplace, and put his hands behind his back. 'And soon,' he said, 'when the clock is
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