He turned out his drawers for the articles, and then went downstairs

to ransack his larder. He came back with some cold cutlets and

bread, pulled up a light table, and placed them before his guest.

"Never mind knives," said his visitor, and a cutlet hung in mid-air,

with a sound of gnawing.

Invisible!" said Kemp, and sat down on a bedroom chair.

I always like to get something about me before I eat," said the

Invisible Man, with a full mouth, eating greedily. "Queer fancy!"

I suppose that wrist is all right," said Kemp.

Trust me," said the Invisible Man.

Of all the strange and wonderful--"

Exactly. But it's odd I should blunder into your house to get my

bandaging. My first stroke of luck! Anyhow I meant to sleep in this

house to-night. You must stand that! It's a filthy nuisance, my

blood showing, isn't it? Quite a clot over there. Gets visible as

it coagulates, I see. It's only the living tissue I've changed, and

only for as long as I'm alive.... I've been in the house three hours."

But how's it done?" began Kemp, in a tone of exasperation.

Confound it! The whole business--it's unreasonable from

130

The Invisible Man