10 The Hangman

Obsession, these are the slow poisons that saturate the most brilliant mind until it becomes dank and spongy.

A cavern of foul and nauseous thoughts hidden away from the light of the sun. A secret place where no longer live the clean structures of love or honor or decency. the twisting roots of destruction dig deeper and stronger, interlocking like the fibers of some malignant cancer.

And so in just a moment, the story of the hangman, starring Tom Conway. This is the story of the hangman. The hooded man skilled in the subtle arts of the hemp and noose, the springer of the

trap. a small town in the south of England, in a wayside inn. A young man sits at a table, tense, expectant, obviously nervous, and even more obviously held in the vice of some strange and decidedly urgent obsession.

Hello Nelly, sit down. Oh, I'm aside, Billy. Have you been waiting long? Twenty minutes. What's it been, Jonele? And Alice. She hasn't been feeling well. I couldn't get away. You mean you couldn't sneak away without her seeing you, isn't it?

No, darling. No, that's not true. There's no need to deny, Nelly. I'm aware that you aren't as an approve of now. It's not you personally, Oliver. It's just that... Well, and Alice is frightened and he's setting her ways.

He believes that you should have a steady position, and then come... Oh, I see. As she prefers that I give up my painting, find a job as a day laborer, a three-pound-a-week clerk, or perhaps a news bender, yes, there's a nice steady position.

Ah, sir, you're in another mood. Possibly. Darling, darling, don't let's crawl. It's such a beautiful day, don't let's spoil it. I'm spoiling your day? Oh, forgive me. I didn't mean that. It's just when the things you say are...