“I am all right now; I was only asleep.” Her voice had a gulp in it as she said in a low voice: “Asleep! You! and my Father in danger! I thought you were on the watch!” I felt the sting of justice in the reproach; but I really wanted to help her, so I answered: “Only asleep. It is bad enough, I know; but there is something more than an “only” round us here. Had it not been that I took a definite precaution I might have been like the Nurse there.” She turned her eyes swiftly on the weird figure, sitting grimly upright like a painted statue; and then her face softened. With the action of habitual courtesy she said: “Forgive me! I did not mean to be rude. But I am in such distress and fear that I hardly know what I am saying. Oh, it is dreadful! I fear for fresh trouble and horror and mystery every moment.” This cut me to the very heart, and out of the heart’s fulness I spoke: “Don’t give me a thought! I don’t deserve it. I was on guard, and yet I slept. All that I can say is that I didn’t mean to, and I tried to avoid it; but it was over me before I knew it. Anyhow, it is done now; and can’t be undone. Probably some day we may understand it all; but now let us try to get at some idea of what has happened. Tell me what you remember!” The effort to recollect seemed to stimulate her; she became calmer as she spoke: “I was asleep, and woke suddenly with the same horrible feeling on me that Father was in great and immediate danger. I jumped up and ran, just as I was, into his room. It was nearly pitch dark, but as I opened the door there was light enough to see Father’s nightdress as he lay on the floor under the safe, just as on that first awful night. Then I think I must have gone mad for a moment.” She stopped and shuddered. My eyes lit on Sergeant Daw, still fiddling in an aimless way with the revolver. Mindful of my work with the tourniquet, I said calmly: “Now tell us, Sergeant Daw, what did you fire at?” The policeman seemed to pull himself together with the habit of obedience. Looking around at the servants remaining in the room, he said with that air of importance which, I take it, is the regulation attitude of an official of the law before strangers: “Don’t you think, sir, that we can allow the servants to go away? We can then better go into the matter.” I nodded approval; the servants took the hint and withdrew, though unwillingly, the last one closing the door behind
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