"Oh, thank God!" Lady breathed "Amen," said I. "What are we to do now?" "What do you think we had better do? Is there any water in there?"[Pg 108] [Pg 108] "There's nothing in there that's of any use," I said quickly. "I should say the first thing would be to send for an ambulance, and the next for the police." "No, no!" Lady cried. "Whatever is to be done we must do ourselves. I came here to take her away. Can't we take her as she is?" "She could be carried down-stairs easily enough," said I, surprised, "but somebody ought to be arrested for this thing. Have you any notion who did it?" "Her husband, I suppose," answered Lady bitterly. "He is like that when he has been drinking. Sheila was afraid something would happen when he came back." "Sheila?" Lady glanced at the figure before us. "That is Sheila," she said. "She used to be my nurse." I picked the woman up in my arms. She was heavier than I had thought; not beyond my strength, but more than I could walk with safely down those crazy stairs. "I'll call the chauffeur," I said. "He can help carry her down." "Yes; but I'd rather he didn't see this." "He'd see her anyhow, when we brought her[Pg 109] down; and we can't do anything for her here. Where shall I put her?" [Pg 109] "Wasn't there a bed in that room?" she asked. "Slip off your coat; she will be all right on the floor for a minute." Lady took off the long coat and spread it upon the boards, taking Sheila's hand in her lap as I laid her down upon it. I raised the little window, and looked down into the street. The car stood there, its lights glaring monstrously down the empty street. "Hi!" I called. "You chauffeur! Leave the car and come up here."
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