When I closed my eyes , I saw not only my debts but the gelatinous remains of his pharynx in my red fingers . I took a deep breath and suppressed my urges .
Days later , a letter from the authorities would confirm what Mr . Rutherfurd said . And when I next saw him , he laughed and laughed , his head bobbling . “ Nearly as bad as a flaying , eh , disgusting little boy ?”
“ You have nerve calling me disgusting ,” I said , my hands tightening into fists .
He snarled , his lips folding in and his face becoming a white plate of eyes and teeth . Those twig-thin fingers reached into the dark compartments of his chair , retrieving a long slender knife with a curved tip .
“ Maurice ! Clarence ! Come !” he wailed , summoning the two other manservants who rushed into the study with headlong haste . “ Hold down this disgusting little boy .” He held the knife up to his bulging eye . “ Let ’ s see if he yelps like his daddy .”
I could do little to hold myself back . I leapt with a primal rage , pulling at the head gear with all my might . I was surprised at the speed in which Mr . Rutherfurd stabbed at me , and doubly surprised when Maurice grabbed the master ’ s wrist and wrestled the knife from him . Twisting the metal in my hands , I delighted when the pincers pierced his eyes and made them run red . He blinked , screamed , cursed at me to go away , and tried to keep his eyes pried open .
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