外三2--02 03 24 25 33

Now I know that I became very nervous. It sounded like a small wooden clock! Could the policemen hear it? Why wouldn’t the men leave? There was a storm inside my head! And the noise became louder─Louder─LOUDER!

“Stop!” I cried. “Enough! Enough! Pull up the boards! Below the floor! Here, here!─It’s the beating of his horrible heart!”

But after some minutes I became tired. There was a low sound in my head, in my ears. I didn’t like it. I talked more loudly, more angrily. Then suddenly I understood. The sound, it was there in the room!

I said dangerous things in a loud voice. But still the men talked happily and smiled. Couldn’t they hear? Was it possible? Oh, god! No, no! They heard! They knew! They laughed at my hopes, and smiled at my fears.

The old man sat up quickly in bed. “Who’s there?” he cried. I knew his fear! Soon I heard another sound, a horrible sound of fear from the old man. I opened the lantern.

Three policemen came into the house. They said that someone in the next door heard the cry. Was everything all right? “Of course.” I said. I was not nervous. I smiled. I sat on the boards over the dead body!

Everything was all right. For one minute, the sound began softly. Then it stopped. He was cold. He was like a stone. The old man was dead. The eye would never look upon me again!

True! Nervous. I was nervous then and I am nervous now. But why do you say that I am mad? Listen. I will tell you the story. I will speak quietly. You will understand everything. Listen!

It was open-wide, wide open. I saw his blue horrible eyes. My blood ran cold. Now a low, quick sound like the wooden clock came to my ears. I knew that! It was the beating of the man’s heart!

Someone in the next house would hear! The old man must die! This was his hour! The old man cried loudly once─once only. His fear, his fear killed him! I pulled him from the bed. And I smile a little.

My fear and anger grew. But I did not move. I stood still. I held the light on the old man’s eye. And the beating of the heart grew. It became quicker and quicker, and louder and louder every second!

You think that I am mad. But I? I was careful. Oh, I was very careful. Every midnight I opened his door slowly, carefully. I opened the lantern carefully─very carefully─and slowly. Always the eye was closed.

On the eighth night, I was more careful than before. I knew he could not see me. I began to open the lantern, but my hand hit the side. It made a loud noise.

Now I was very, very careful. I used a good, new knife. I cut off his arms and legs and head. I put everything below the floor. Nothing was wrong. I was careful, you see? Ha! Can you still think that I am mad?

Why did I want to kill the old man? Ah, this is very difficult. I liked him. No, I loved him! He was always kind to me. But his eyes. Yes, it was this! He had a cold, light blue eye─a horrible eye.

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