 In this cave by the restless sea, we are met to call from out the past stories, strange, and weird. Bellkeeper, hold the bell, so all may know we are gathered again in the weird circle. I speak again, very mortal tale. What was it? What was it? What was it? Nobody knows. But the house was haunted by something or somebody. The boarders here at Mrs. Dimity's boarding house didn't believe in ghosts either, myself included. But we were curious about them, and that's why we voted to move into the old brownstone house on 49th Street. And once we were in, we were still convinced that ghosts don't venture abroad in a New York tenement building. The only one who wasn't quite convinced that ghosts exist only in storybooks was old Mrs. Dimity herself. But our favorite rumor, young handsome Ned Saunders, and myself, I'm Dr. Hammond, we refused to believe the ghostly nonsense. And Mitchell, the young sculptress who lived there, was frankly curious. While the Countess Harkavy, a fortune teller of some renown and a psychic of questionable fame, was delighted at the idea of living in a haunted house. That was in a business way, of course. It was around 11 o'clock at night when the boarders who were then assembled in that dark, dreary living room first heard what some claimed was a ghostly present. Listen to that, Dr. Hammond. I hear it, Ned. It's an uncommon sort of sound for the wind. That is not the wind, Dr. Hammond. It is the cries from the spirit world. I feel it in the marrow of my bones. No, say, Countess. Can't you feel things in a more comfortable place? Bone structures always struck me as the most uncomfortable place to have a feeling going on. Listen, all of you. Listen. Oh, skip it. Ned, will you pass me that magazine on the shelf next to you? I think any kind of reading will be preferable to listening to old psychic ears rambling. Of course I will. There you are, dear. You really think this house is haunted, Countess? Yes, I do. It would be a fortunate thing for your business if the United States of America could be made ghost-conscious. Dr. Hammond, you'll live to regret that remark. The Countess will take you seriously. I am serious. And talking of taking things seriously, when are you going to start taking me seriously, Anne? When you start to make a living, then. Oh, someday I hope I won't have to try and sell my sculptures. All art is conceived out of the fires of struggles. Well, I'm tired of struggling. Oh, if I could just create something out of the ordinary for an art exhibit, I could make a couple of hundred dollars. I've been working three months for an idea and I haven't done a thing. My poor dear Anne, as long as you doubt the extraordinary, how can you create it? She's got you there, Anne. Yes, she has, Dr. Hammond. Well, what would you suggest is a good subject for Anne to sculpt, Countess? Well, a denizen of the other world, perhaps. Oh, sure. That's rather a hot place for a girl to venture in order to sculpt a devil, isn't it? Don't speak so lightly of his satanic highness. No one knows where the devil's hand may be next. How about sculpting me, Anne? I'm an extraordinary young man. That you are, darling. Extraordinary lay broke at any rate. Oh, the woes of the world revolve on that ugly stuff called money. People take money much too seriously, Ned. Well, frankly, Dr. Hammond, if I had some of it, I wouldn't take it at all seriously. I'd scatter it around the world like a veritable windmill. Oh, frivolity. That's your trouble, my dear friends. Frivolity. You feed on it. Here in this very house is a poor earthbound spirit, and yet you ignore it. Come, Countess, you don't expect us to take it seriously? I expect nothing. What do you expect us to do? Call a spirit in and ask him to sit for me? Possibly, Anne. Possibly. Come, come, Countess. You're joking. I have never been more serious in my life. I think we ought to hold a seance and command the spirits to enter the room. That would be interesting, at least scientifically so. Nonsense, Doctor. Besides, Mrs. Dimity would never stand for it. Ever since she moved us into this, how she's been scared stiff of the very idea of spirits. Have you seen the amulet she's been wearing? Yes. She carries it around like a sword. Why don't we ask her? Oh, we were just talking about you, Mrs. Dimity. Oh, dear. I tell you, I just can't stand being alone in my room. I just know something was in there with me, Anne. I just know it. The spirits probably have been attracted to you, Mrs. Dimity. I've always felt you're strongly psychic. Oh, don't say it, Countess. Don't even think about it. It was all a mistake moving into this house. All a mistake. I've just never been as nervous. Dr. Hammond, feel my pulse. Feel it. It's practically non-pulse, so to speak. Well, I wouldn't take it seriously, Mrs. Dimity. We all know there are no such things as spirits. You see, we've been talking about the ghost for so long that at times we half-believe, but that's purely imagination. It wasn't imagination at all, Dr. Hammond. You know very well there are only five of us living here. You four were downstairs, and I was alone upstairs. Oh, I did hear footsteps in the hall. I opened the door, and I felt something cold touch me. Ah, you see, I knew it. Oh, listen. It came from upstairs. Listen, all of you. Ah, and was that also the wind, Dr. Hammond? I don't know, Countess. What do you think, Ned? I think the Countess' idea of a seance is a good practical suggestion. I'm all for it. A seance? Oh, dear. Yes, let's give it a try. Well, we're all agreed. Yes, come on, let's. I think it's a good idea. You're in charge, Countess. Now tell us what to do. Well, now for the first thing, bring your chairs into a circle, please. I don't see it. I think it's almost back. Now hold hands. Will someone turn off the lights? I'll get the switch. Good. Now we're in the dark. Quiet, please. Quiet while I summon the spirits. It is midnight, oh spirits. Midnight. Enter the portals of our room and speak to us. Speak to us. We are gathered to commune with you who have passed on. Withhold not your secrets. Speak. Speak. It is I, Countess Harkavy, asking you to descend to this mortal plane. Answer me. Answer me. If my uncle Ezekiel's in the room and wants to talk to me, I'd talk to him, Countess. Yes, Mrs. Dimity. Ned, stop squeezing my hand. I'm not squeezing your hand, Anne. Well, whatever you're doing, stop doing it. I'm not doing anything. Ouch, doggone. What's the matter with your hand? You're so coy, pinching me now. I'm not pinching you. My hands are in my lap. Well, hold. Ever sitting next to me, stop it. Dr. Hammond. I'm sitting across from your hand. Mrs. Dimity. Oh, dear. I wouldn't have the courage to squeeze anybody's hand at this point. Ouch. Well, whoever it is. Turn on the lights, somebody. Turn on the lights. No, no, don't turn on the lights. The spirits have entered the room and are attracted to you, Anne. To you. Oh, please, please, turn on the lights, please. I'll do it, Anne. I'll do it. There's nobody sitting next to you. That's a vacant chair. But I felt it. Anne, did you imagine it? Imagine what? That somebody squeezed my hand? I imagined nothing. Look. Look at my hand. And tell me that's imagination. What's there, darling? What? Dr. Hammond, look. Her hand is bruised. Yes, it is. Pretty badly bruised. Countess, where were you sitting? Exactly where I'm sitting now, Dr. Hammond, and I haven't moved. You had your chance to do something extraordinary, Anne. But you muffed it. A pity is all I can say. A great pity. The seance is ruined. But, Countess, wait a minute. What for? To try another seance and have you become hysterical all over again? Good night. Dr. Hammond, is it possible that I really was holding the hand of something or...? Anything's possible, Anne, but not very probable. Oh, dear. Oh, dear. I said not very probable, Mrs. Dimity. I think perhaps the Countess has been playing a trick on all of us. A cute trick, Doctor. Pretty a difficult one. If she wasn't playing a trick, she shouldn't have been so upset when you turned on the lights, Ned. Oh, Doctor, I think you've got a point there. Something like a good dash of logic to take the cold chills out of my spine. Well, how could the Countess do it, Doctor? Well, Mrs. Dimity's psychic phenomenon is the Countess's business. After all, she makes a living out of calling imaginary spooks from the outer world. I don't think it's very nice of us to try and pry into her secrets. I hope you're right, Doctor. I do hope you're right. Now, I wouldn't worry, Mrs. Dimity. Well, I'm going upstairs to bed. I've had enough spooks to last me for years. Oh, wait for me, Mrs. Dimity. I'll go up with you. Good night, Ned. Good night, Anne. Good night, Doctor Hammond. See you in the morning. Good night, my dear, and don't worry about the spooks. They're purely harmless, make-believe. Oh, dear, I'll never sleep a wink again. Well, Doctor, what's the tongue and the cheek look? Oh, Ned, I'm afraid we've had our first touch of real psychic phenomena tonight. What you just said... I didn't want to frighten the women. Then you believe this house is haunted? Haunted? Well, I don't like the phrase, but in essence, that's the idea. I was wondering if you'd be interested in trying an experiment with me tonight. Certainly, Doctor, anything. Well, suppose you and I spend the next few nights down here. We'll turn off the lights and wait. Just wait. Perhaps we can invite some trouble. We waited that night through without sleeping, but nothing extraordinary happened, except for the fact that Mrs. Dimity's rocking chair kept rocking all night long. Creaking and squeaking as it moved. But the wind could have been responsible for that. The next night and the next and the one after that, we kept our nightly vigil, creeping up to our rooms like thieves just before daylight broke, so that nobody would suspect our secret experiment. On the fifth night of our wait, we heard the rocking chair creaking, creaking, creaking. Doctor, yes, Ned? That rocking chair couldn't be moved by wind tonight. There wasn't a breath of air stirring. I noticed that, Ned. I wonder... Listen. Yes, the creaking stopped. Same as usual. I tried to get some sleep. I can't. I was nervous as a cat over this whole thing. Yes, I'm jittery, too. Ouch, let me. What's better, Ned? I don't know. Somebody's attacked me. Help me, Doctor. Help me. I... It's got its arms around my throat. Here, I feel it. You'll find out who this ghost is in a short time. There, I've got his arms, Ned. My throat! Let go of my throat! There. Can you hang onto him alone, Doctor? I think so, but he's as strong as a nox. No, you don't. His voice certainly doesn't sound human. Turn on the lights, Ned, while I hang onto him. You'll find out who this practical prankster is. I'm afraid to let him go, Doctor. I can handle him, Ned. You turn on the lights. Hurry, Ned, hurry! There you are. Doctor, where is he? He's right in front of me. I've got him by the arms. I'm... I'm hanging onto him. This is amazing. Amazing, Doctor? Well, we can't see it. It's invisible. Help me, Ned. He's trying to escape. Help me! If I could only see him. There we are. I've got it. I've got it. What is it, Doctor? What was it? I didn't know as I held the grizzly thing in my arm. It struggled and sobbed and moaned exactly as a beast would struggle and moan. An invisible beast. That was the horror of it. An invisible beast. I sent Ned to the basement of the old brownstone to get some stout rope. At least we could prevent this horror from escaping. That's what I thought then. Well, Ned returned shortly from the basement and opened the door. There you are, Doctor. I can't hang on to it much longer. Not as long as I used to be. All right, Doctor. Try to hold him on the floor. There you are, Ned. Feet are still for the minute. I've got the rope about it. Look. A perfect loop around, nothing but empty air. Hold him and I'll bind the rope around him. Quickly, Ned. There we are. That covers his feet. I'll bring it up here and around his legs. Give me the rope and I'll bind his hand. There, that does it. What a relief to be able to let that awful thing go. All right, I'll take the rope now, Doctor. He'll bind it to his chair. He won't get away now. I'll guarantee that. It isn't very large, is it? No, about the size of a small boy. But what is it? Have you ever encountered anything like this before? Frankly, Ned never. Look at my hands, bitten and bruised. I wonder if I'll ever be able to move them again. What are we going to do with the dancing now? I don't think that's our responsibility, Ned. I think we'd better call the boarders together and let them in on the secret. Would you like me to get them, Doctor? Yes, wake them up, but don't tell them why. Just ask them to come down here and I'll throw this rug over the chair so that they won't see the ropes right away. Questions, everybody. Dr. Hammond will explain everything. Oh, goody-hey, Dr. Hammond. Have you possibly discovered that psychic phenomena does exist? Come in, Countess. Come in, everybody. Don't be afraid, Ms. Dimity. Explain it in a minute. Explain it, Dr. Hammond? Sit down, everybody, please. No, Ms. Dimity, not in the rocking chair. Oh, dear me. I'm afraid we're in for a revelation this evening. Ned, please close the door. Strange are the ways of the world. Yes, Countess. The ways of the world are very strange. Mrs. Dimity and the Countess have been correct about this house. There is something in it. Oh, what do you mean? Oh, spirits are often kind. Indeed, they're friendlier than many mortals. This isn't exactly a spirit, Countess. What do you mean? Exactly what I say. It's a beast of some kind. Dr. Hammond, is it in this room? Ms. Dimity, please. Yes, Anne, it's in this room, in that rocking chair. I threw a rug over it. Oh, unfortunate spirit. If you wish, Countess, remove the rug. Yes, of course. Where is it? It's being held in place by us. What kind of a hoax are you trying to play on me, Dr. Hammond? It is not a hoax. There's a living, breathing something bound in that chair. But it's invisible. It's more than incredible. Would you mind if I touched it? I don't see why I should. It's not my beast. The problem is, what are we going to do with it? What do you suggest, Mrs. Dimity? Mrs. Dimity. Well, she's painted, Dr. Hammond. Oh, I felt it. I felt it, Anne. I felt it. A captured spirit. I must tell my co-worker, Dr. Tharcox, right away. He'll be so thrilled, so thrilled. I am not sure that we ought to tell anybody about it. Are you, Dr. Hammond? It's quite right. We should not. Dr. Tharcox is the only living person constantly in touch with the spiritual night and day, day and night constantly. The smelling thought should be in here someplace. Oh, here they are. Until we find out exactly what it is, it's a secret. Heaven knows what we've stumbled into. Very right, Ned. Here, Mrs. Dimity, take a deep breath of this. And how do you propose going about finding out what it is? Breathe deeply, Mrs. Dimity. Well, I was thinking it might be possible for Anne to make a plaster cast. Oh, that's a gay idea, Ned. Breathe deeply, Mrs. Dimity. You'll be all right. That's quite a good idea, as a matter of fact. No, you'll hold it while I make a cast, huh? It happens to bite you with a pair of invisible teeth. That'll be my word. No being a doctor, I shall use a little chloroform and put it to sleep for a while. We'll be able to make a perfect cast. Mrs. Dimity, are you all right? I'll never be all right again. Well, Anne, are you willing to give it a try? Oh, I suppose so, Ned. I'll prepare the plaster right away. There we are, Anne. The chloroform has worked perfectly. Whatever it is, it's asleep. Before you start with the plaster, I should like to listen to his heart and the stethoscope. Certainly, doctor. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Normal. A little faster than as normal for a human being, but maybe we're not dealing with a human being. Yes, doctor, that's very possible. Ned, would you hand me that container near you? What do we have? There you are. Thanks, Ned. Well, Dr. Hammond, are you ready? Yes, Anne, whenever you are. Oh, I'm not going to start. It's two o'clock. We ought to be through by seven. And so, Anne, started to work. To cover that invisible form with moist plaster. We watched her spellbound. The hideousness of the rough object which soon met our eyes was appalling. Anne's hands shook perceptibly as she forced herself to complete what she had started. Minutes changed into hours. The mold was completed, and we had a rough idea of this figure. Then Anne allowed the mold to dry. By morning, we had a rough facsimile of the invisible beast. How can I describe what it looked like when it looked like nothing so much as a demon out of hell itself? Yes, shaped like a man with long sinewy arms, but it was small. Only four feet or so high. Its muscular development was amazing. And the face, the face looked like a cannibals, a demon. Cruel, tiny eyes, a tiny nose and a twisted long, a horribly long mouth and teeth. The first rays of light broke through the window and I realized that the effects of the chloroform were wearing off. Watch out, ladies, away. I got him, doctor. You'd better help me. Yes, of course. Here, we'll hold him together. Yes, doctor Hammond. We'll hold him down and you bind his legs to the cord. Get that rope around his legs. Good girl, Anne, that's it. Oh! Your arm, darling, it's bleeding. Come on, my arm. Just bind the legs. Give me the rope around him and pull it good and tight. All right, there we are. Give me the rope, Anne. Now, secure his arms. Ned, look at your arms. Oh, doctor, he's badly bitten. Don't bother about me now, darling. We can't let this beast loose on humanity. That face you've done, Anne, looks like the face of a man. Yeah, it does. Give me a hand, Dr. Hammond. We'll put it back in the chair and tie it. Okay, now, one, two, lift. There. Now, tie the darn thing there. I think we ought to do it now. I don't know. You're the doctor. I think we all need some sleep. First, I'll tend to that arm of yours, Ned, and then we'll leave the thing here for a while. Doctor, do you think we dare leave it here quite safely? Well, judging from the way Ned's got it tied up, I think so. Not even a spirit could get out of those ropes. Come on, Ned, I want to take a look at that arm of yours. I'll leave the little statue in here, in the morning. You know, doctor, that makes an interesting study, doesn't it? Yes, quite an interesting one. Extraordinary piece of work, one might say. Well, good night, Ann. Come on, Ned, let's get that arm bandaged. We'll all think more clearly in the morning. We thought we could think more clearly after some sleep. And so the days went by. Ned and Ann and I stayed with that invisible beast constantly. I took test after test. It's heart condition. It's breathing. Every test I took battled me completely. For this invisible beast reacted to every test exactly as a ring. It reacted to every test exactly as a reptile would react. Or, to be more specific, a python. A type of snake which swallows an animal or a man whole and then digest it. As the days passed, we realized that since this was living matter, it must eat. We tempted it with every kind of food imaginable. Tried force-feeding it. But the animal never swallowed one bite of food. And then one evening all of us were collected in the living room when those horrible sounds started. Oh, I tell you, Ned, I... It's hungry. Ann, darling, we've tried feeding. But you've got to get it out of this house. I can't take it any longer. That's very mysterious. We'll evoke the anger of the gods. My advice to you is to let it go. That's not very good advice, Countess. Whatever this is, it would be fairly dangerous. No, isn't there anything we can feed it? It must be suffering horribly, doctor. No food or water for two weeks. Yes, Ann. We need it, but unfortunately or fortunately, we can't. What are you talking about, doctor? Human flesh, Ned. This creature is a man-eater. An invisible man-eater. There's only one thing for us to do. Call the police and the medical society and turn it over to them. There's nothing more we can do. Oh, you'll regret this, doctor. You'll regret it. You can't evoke the anger of the spirit world without payment and full. I'm going to come over here immediately. And so, gentlemen, Ann called you and brought you over here. I've told you the complete story of the monster from the very beginning. Well, Dr. Hammond is a member of the police force. I don't mean to doubt you. But where is this invisible monster? He died of hunger ten minutes before you arrived, sergeant. Where is it? On the floor, here, next to my foot. You can feel it even if you can't see it. Here, put your hand down here. Sergeant, feel this. What kind of a trick are you trying to play on us? Trick, sergeant? Take my word for it. It's no trick. You felt it yourself. Many people know how to make a mass of material appear invisible. Chemistry can give you a lot of explanations of that kind of a hoax. It's no hoax, gentlemen, on my word of honor. It's no hoax. Tell us a better story. Come on, boys. Let's get out of here. We enjoyed your fairy tale, doctor, but we can't swallow that one hoax. But, gentlemen, ask anyone of us in this room. Look at that statuette. That's an exact replica of the Invisible Beast. Ah, now I get it. You're trying to get some free publicity for the art exhibition at the museum. No, gentlemen. I made that pass to cast myself from the Invisible Monster. Dr. Hammond's telling you the truth. Well, if it's the truth, what was it? What was it? Frankly, gentlemen, I don't know what it was. From the time-worn pages of the past, you have heard what was it. Bell Keeper All the Bells