declared the old creature in the same toneless voice , and then turning his head very slowly as though it were made of wood and grinding away in a socket , he looked from right to left and then at charlotte and gave a crooked smile only now as i bent forward , escaping the dazzle of the nearest candles and marveling at this strange performance , did i perceive that his eyes were bloodshot , and that indeed his face appeared frozen , and the expressions that broke out upon it were like cracks in ice .