Slowly and deliberately the Judge rose from his chair and picked up the piece of the rope of the alarm bell which lay on the floor, drew it through his hands as if he enjoyed its touch, and then deliberately began to knot one end of it, fashioning it into a noose. This he tightened and tested with his foot, pulling hard at it till he was satisfied and then making a running noose of it, which he held in his hand. Then he began to move along the table on the opposite side to Malcolmson, keeping his eyes on him until he had passed him, when with a quick movement he stood in front of the door. Malcolmson then began to feel that he was trapped, and tried to think of what he should do. There was some fascination in the Judge' s eyes, which he never took off him, and he had, perforce, to look. He saw the Judge approach—still keeping between him and the door—and raise the noose and throw it towards him as if to entangle him. With a great effort he made a quick movement to one side, and saw the rope fall beside him, and heard it strike the oaken floor. Again the Judge raised the noose and tried to ensnare him, ever keeping his baleful eyes fixed on him, and each time by a mighty effort the student just managed to evade it. So this went on for many times, the Judge seeming never discouraged nor discomposed at failure, but playing as a cat does with a mouse. At least in despair, which had reached its climax, Malcolmson cast a quick glance round him. The lamp seemed to have blazed up, and there was a fairly good light in the room. At the many rat-holes and in the chinks and crannies of the wainscot he saw the rats' eyes; and this aspect, that was purely physical, gave him a gleam of comfort. He looked around and saw that the rope of the great alarm bell was laden with rats. Every inch of it was covered with them; and more and more were pouring through the small circular hole in the ceiling whence it emerged, so that with their weight the bell was beginning to sway.
Hark! it had swayed till the clapper had touched the bell. The sound was but a tiny one, but the bell was only beginning to sway, and it would increase.
At the sound the Judge, who had been keeping his eyes fixed on Malcolmson, looked up, and a scowl of diabolical anger overspread his face. His eyes fairly glowed like hot coals, and he stamped his foot with a sound that seemed to make the house shake. A dreadful peal of thunder broke overhead as he raised the rope again, whilst the rats kept running up and down the rope as though working against time. This time, instead of throwing it, he drew close to his victim, and held open the noose as he approached. As he came closer there seemed something paralyzing in his very presence, and Malcolmson stood rigid as a corpse. He felt the Judge' s icy fingers touch his throat as he adjusted the rope. The noose tightened—tightened. Then the Judge, taking the rigid form of the student in his arms, carried him over and placed him standing in the oak chair, and stepping up beside him, put his hand up and caught the end of the swaying rope of the alarm bell. As he raised his hand the rats fled squeaking, and disappeared through the hole in the ceiling. Taking the end of the noose which was round Malcolmson' s neck he tied it to the hanging-bell rope, and then descending pulled away the chair.
When the alarm bell of the Judge' s House began to sound a crowd soon assembled. Lights and torches of various kinds appeared, and soon a silent crowd was hurrying to the spot. They knocked loudly at the door, but there was no reply. Then they burst in the door, and poured into the great dining-room, the doctor at the head.
There at the end of the rope of the great alarm bell hung the body of the student, and on the face of the Judge in the picture was a malignant smile.
随着考试日期的临近，马尔科姆逊决定找个清静的地方专心复习。他想去海边，又担心会被那儿的风景吸引而分心；他想去乡下，又担心自己受不了寂寞。想来想去，他最后还是决定去一个不知名的小镇，因为那里不会有什么事让自己分心。至于去哪个小镇，他决定不征求朋友的意见，因为他觉得他们可能会推荐一些自己很熟悉而且熟人很多的地方。马尔科姆逊想避开朋友们，也不愿意麻烦朋友们的朋友，因此，他决定自己找个地方。他只带了一些必要的衣服和书，买了当天的票就上路了，而他的目的地则是当地列车时刻表上第一个自己没听说过的小镇。
三个小时后，就到了本切奇车站，他很满意这次旅程，因为迄今为止，他还没受到任何人的打扰，如此一来，他就可以静下心来复习功课了。他直接找了一家小旅店住了下来，准备过一夜。本切奇是个小集市，每月有一周是赶集的时间，在那个星期里，街上人声鼎沸，而在其余三周里，这个小镇冷清得就像沙漠。第二天，他在街上逛了逛，试图找一个比他昨晚投宿的“好旅客”旅馆更僻静的住所。找来找去，只找到一家，就清静而言，这地方很合他的心意，事实上，用“偏僻”来形容这里更恰当。这一栋古老而厚重的房子，带有鲜明的詹姆斯一世时期的建筑风格，高高的三角墙和小小的窗户，周围是一圈高高的围墙。一眼望去，这座房子像一个戒备森严的城堡，而不是一个普通的住宅。但是，马尔科姆逊很喜欢，他觉得：“这就是我要找的地方，如果能有机会住在这里，那实在是再好不过了。”当他知道这个地方还没有人住时，简直高兴坏了。
通过邮局，他打听到了代理人的名字，代理人对他想租这座老房子感到非常惊讶。卡恩福德先生是当地的律师兼代理人，他是一位非常随和的老绅士。当知道马尔科姆想租下这座房子时，他非常高兴。
