SOURCE: Tales of the Uncanny and Supernatural (1949) by Algernon Blackwood

DESCRIPTION:

PLOT: The Gilmer Brothers collect violins. They allow a Jew named Hyman to play them occasionally. When the brothers refuse to sell their best violin, Hyman finds other means to steal it. He changes into a large cat by magic but fails to get the violin. On his second try John Gilmer cuts off his forearm while in cat form. The next day they see Hyman bearing an empty sleeve.

WEREWOLF FACTS: Were-cats also appear in Blackwood's John Silence story "".

INTERESTING FACTS: Blackwood's racism is evident in this story (and others). His representation of the Jewish character is typical of turn-of-the-century fiction.