by
H. G. Wells

Chapter I.
The Strange Man’s Arrival

The stranger arrived in early February, on a cold day with strong wind and heavy snow. He walked from Bramblehurst railway station, carrying a small black bag in his gloved hand. He was covered from head to foot. His hat hid his face, and only the tip of his nose could be seen. Snow lay on his shoulders and chest.

He entered the Coach and Horses inn, looking weak and cold. He dropped his bag and said, “A fire, please. A room and a fire.”

Mrs. Hall took him into the guest room. He paid at once with gold coins, and she agreed to give him a room.

She lit the fire and went to prepare his meal. A winter guest was rare, and she wanted to serve him well. When she returned, the stranger still wore his coat and hat. He stood with his back to her and looked out at the falling snow. Water from the melting snow dripped onto the carpet.

“Can I take your hat and coat, sir?” she asked.

“No,” he said.

He turned slightly. Mrs. Hall saw he wore large blue glasses and had thick hair around his face. She felt unsure and left the room.

Later, she brought him food. He did not move until she was leaving. Then he quickly came to the table and began to eat. When she returned again, she noticed he had taken off his coat and hat. His boots were wet near the fire. She moved to take them.

“Leave the hat,” he said.

She turned and saw his face more clearly. It shocked her. His head was covered in white bandages. Only his nose was visible. He held a cloth over the lower part of his face and spoke through it. She stood still, surprised.

“Leave the hat,” he repeated.

She obeyed and took the rest of his clothes to dry. She felt confused and uneasy as she left.

Alone, the stranger ate his meal. Then he got up and pulled down the window blind, making the room darker. He returned to the table and continued eating.

In the kitchen, Mrs. Hall spoke about him. She thought he had an accident or an operation. His bandages and glasses made him look strange.

When she came back later, he was smoking a pipe. He still kept his face covered and did not remove the cloth. He spoke more now. He said he had luggage at Bramblehurst station and asked how to get it. He seemed unhappy when told it would arrive the next day.

Mrs. Hall tried to talk about accidents and injuries, but he gave short answers. When she spoke too much, he stopped her and asked for matches. She felt offended but brought them. After that, he turned away and looked out the window. He did not want conversation.

He stayed in the room until late afternoon. Most of the time, he sat quietly by the fire. Sometimes he moved or spoke softly to himself. Then he sat again in silence.

Chapter II.
Mr. Teddy Henfrey’s First Impressions

At four o’clock, when it was already dark, Mrs. Hall was thinking about asking the stranger if he wanted tea. At that moment, Teddy Henfrey, the clock repairman, came into the inn. He complained about the cold weather and his thin boots.

Mrs. Hall asked him to look at the clock in the guest room. The clock worked, but the hour hand stayed at six. She took him to the parlour and opened the door.

The stranger was sitting in a chair by the fire, half asleep. The room was dark except for the red light from the fire. For a moment, Mrs. Hall thought she saw something strange about his face, as if his mouth was very large. Then he moved and covered his face again with a cloth. She told him about the clock.

“Certainly,” he said.

She brought in a lamp, and Mr. Henfrey entered. He was surprised when he saw the stranger’s bandaged head and blue glasses.

“I hope I am not disturbing you,” said Henfrey.

“Not at all,” said the stranger. “But I prefer to be alone.”

He stood with his back to the fire and watched while the clock was repaired. He said he would like tea later, but only after the work was finished.

Before Mrs. Hall left, the stranger asked again about his luggage at Bramblehurst station. She told him it would arrive the next day. He then explained that he was an experimental investigator. His luggage contained scientific equipment. He said he came to Iping because he wanted solitude. He did not want to be disturbed.

He also said he had an accident. His eyes were sometimes weak and painful. At times, he had to stay in a dark room alone. Any interruption made him very angry. Mrs. Hall agreed and did not ask more questions.

After she left, the stranger stood silently and watched Mr. Henfrey work. The room was quiet. Henfrey tried to move slowly, but he felt nervous. The stranger stood still, staring at him through the blue glasses.

Henfrey wanted to speak, but the silence felt strange. At last, he began, “The weather — ”

“Why don’t you finish and go?” the stranger said suddenly, in anger. “You are wasting time.”

Henfrey quickly finished the work and left. Outside, he felt annoyed. He thought the stranger looked very strange and suspicious. He said to himself that no one could even see the man’s face.

On the road, he met Mr. Hall, the owner of the inn. Henfrey told him about the strange guest. He said the man wore bandages like a disguise and had not given his name. He also said the man had luggage coming. This made Mr. Hall a little suspicious.

When he returned home, his wife was angry with him for being late, so he did not ask many questions. But he kept thinking about the stranger.

Later that night, after the stranger went to bed, Mr. Hall went into the parlour. He looked at the furniture and at some papers with strange scientific writing. He told Mrs. Hall to watch the stranger’s luggage when it arrived.

Mrs. Hall told him to mind his own business. Still, she also felt unsure about the stranger. That night, she had a bad dream about strange white heads with dark eyes. But she soon calmed herself and went back to sleep.

Chapter III.
The Thousand and One Bottles

On the twenty-ninth of February, as the snow began to melt, the strange man settled in Iping. The next day, his luggage arrived. It came in many boxes and crates. There were some normal trunks, but also many boxes filled with glass bottles and large books. Some of the books had strange writing.

The stranger came out quickly when the cart arrived. He seemed impatient.

“Bring those boxes in,” he said.

Fearenside’s dog was near the cart. When it saw the stranger, it began to growl. As the stranger moved closer, the dog jumped and bit at him. It caught his glove and then his leg, tearing his trousers.

Fearenside hit the dog with his whip, and it ran away. The stranger looked at his hand and leg for a moment, then rushed inside the inn and ran upstairs to his room.

Mr. Hall followed him. The door was partly open, so Hall stepped in. The room was dark. For a moment, Hall saw something strange. It looked like a moving arm without a hand, and a face that was hard to understand. Then the stranger struck him in the chest and pushed him out. The door shut and locked.

Hall stood outside, confused. Soon he went back downstairs, where a small group had gathered. They talked about the dog and the bite. Mrs. Hall said the dog should not have attacked her guest.

The stranger soon appeared again at the door. He was fully covered as before.

“I am not hurt,” he said. “Bring in the boxes.”

His clothes had been changed.

As soon as the crates were brought inside, he opened them with great energy. He pulled out many bottles of all shapes and sizes. Some had colored liquids, some had powders, and some were labeled poison. He placed them everywhere in the room, on tables, shelves, and even the floor. There were also test tubes and a balance.

When he finished unpacking, he began to work at once. He mixed liquids and watched them carefully.

Later, when Mrs. Hall brought his meal, he was busy with his experiments. He did not hear her at first. When he turned, she noticed he had removed his glasses. His eyes looked very deep and strange. He quickly put the glasses back on.

“I wish you would knock before entering,” he said sharply.

She said she had knocked. He told her that even small interruptions disturbed his work. She suggested he lock the door, and he agreed. She tried to complain about the straw on the floor, but he stopped her. “Put it in the bill,” he said.

He spoke in a harsh and impatient way. Mrs. Hall felt uneasy but said no more.