The Jewel of Seven Stars

cond A

of reality added. The room was as I had seen it last; except that the shadowy look had go

y one of the bandages with which the Doctor had dressed the wounded wrist. Another and another lay further along the floor, as though forming a clue to where the sick man now lay. This was almost exactly where he had been found on the previous night, under the great safe. Again, the left arm lay toward the safe. But there had been a new outrage, an attempt had been made to sever the arm close to the bangle which held the tiny key. A heavy "kukri" knife-one of the leaf-shaped knives which the Gurkhas and others of the hill tribes of India use with such effect-had been taken from its place on the wall, and with it the attempt had been made. It was manifest that just at the moment of striking, the blow had been arrested, for only the point of the knife and not the edge

, added to that which had gone before, which my appearance must have evoked. I had still on the respirator, which covered mouth and nose; my hair had been tossed in my sleep. Coming suddenly forward, thus enwrapped and dishevelled, in that horrified crowd, I must have had, in the strange mixture of lights, an extraordinary and terrifying appearance. It was well that I recognised all this in time to avert another catastrophe; for the half-dazed, mechanically-acting Detective put in the cartridges and had raised his revolver to shoot at me when I succeeded in wrenching off the respirator and shouting to him to hold his hand. In this also he acted mechanically;

ral of the servants disappeared to make themselves respectable. We lifted Mr. Trelawny on to the sofa where he had lain yesterday; and, having done what we could for him, turned our attention to the Nurse. In all the turmoil she had not

was now much calmer, though she trembled sadly; and her face was ghastly white. When she had looked at her father's wrist, I holding the tourniquet, she turned her eyes round the room, resting t

asleep." Her voice had a gulp

re on the watch!" I felt the sting of justice in the re

I took a definite precaution I might have been like the Nurse there." She turned her eyes swiftly on the weird figure,

know what I am saying. Oh, it is dreadful! I fear for fresh trouble and horror and myst

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

tch 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

the habit of obedience. Looking around at the servants remaining in the room, he said with that air

go into the matter." I nodded approval; the servants took the hint and withdrew, thou

-headed as a man does when he is called too soon after an extra long stretch of work. Not that such was the case this time. Anyhow my thoughts flew to the pistol. I took it out, and ran on to the landing. Then I heard a sort of scream, or rather a call for help, and ran into this room. The room was dark, for the lamp beside the Nurse was out, and the only light was that from the landing, coming through the open door. Miss Trelawny was kneeling on the floor beside her father, and was screaming. I thought I saw something move between me and t

you fired at. What thing?" The man

hing; what was it like?" The

sleep, and because when I came in here I was half dazed and only half awake-which I hope you will in future, sir, always remember." He clung to that formula of excuse as though it were his sheet-a

, let me see exactly where you stood and where I sat. We shall be able to trace the course of your bullets." The prospect of action and the exercise of his habitual skill seemed to brace him at once; he seemed a different man as he set about his work. I asked Mrs. Grant to hold the tourniquet, and went and stood where he had stood and looked where, in the dark

ck of it, stood a high buhl cabinet.

our first shot or your secon

the first was

, the mummy of the cat which had raised Silvio's ire. I got a candle and easily found the mark of the bullet. It had broken a little glass vase and a tazza of black basalt, exquisitely engraved

the glass, had been done. I could not but notice the strange arrangement of the curios on the shelf of the cabinet. All the scarabs, rings, amulets, &c. were arranged in an uneven oval round an exquisitely-carved golden miniature figure of a hawk-headed God crowned with a disk and plumes. I did not wait to look further at present, for my attention w

tween the dark window blinds and the window cases, the brighter light of the coming dawn. When I we

er of heaven. The electric lights seemed dull and yet glaring; and every shadow was of a hard intensity. There was nothing of morning freshness; nothing of the softness of night. All was hard and cold and inexpressibly dreary. The face of the senseless man on the sofa seemed of a ghastly ye

r Winchester came in, breathless wit

t he looked up at the Nurse sitting so still; but then bent himself to his task, a grave frown contracting his brows. It was not till the arteries were tied and the wounds completely dressed tha

e Kennedy?" She

ck, sitting exactly as she does now. We have not moved her, or changed her position

red any cause for this new outrage?"

the same scent or influence which had affected us, fancied that he saw something moving through the shadowy darkness of the room, and fired twice. When I rose out of my chair, with my face swathed in the respirator, he took me for the cause of the trouble. Naturally enough, he was about to fire again, when I was fortunately in time to manifest my identity. Mr. Trelawny was lying beside

d quite still a few mi

ight are quite as mysterio

d nothing in reply, but tur

dy into another room. I suppose

ready; and ask two of the men to come and carry her in." Mrs. G

ng up the rigid body of Nurse Kennedy under the supervision of the Doctor, carried her out of the room. Mis

wny came over to me, and taki

light, I could not but feel that there was some deep mystery beyond all that had happened within the last twenty-six hours. Those beetling brows screened some massive purpose; that high, broad forehead held some finished train of reasoning, which the broad chin and massive jaw would help to carry into effect. As I looked and wondered, there began to steal over me again that phase of wandering thought which had last night heralded the approach of sleep. I resisted it, and held myself sternly to the present. This was easier to do when Miss Trelawny came close to me, and, leaning her forehead against my shoulder, began to c

the patient before speaking. His brows were set, an

less marked. I cannot but feel, however, that with her we may be able to do more and more quickly than with this patient, as our hands are not tied. I have placed her in a draught; and already

ll in this state of insensibility; and yet, so far as

eed a few days. But it will be a useful lesson in diagnosis to us all; and perhaps to ma

Grant remain with the Nurse, but either Miss Trelawny or I, generally both of us, remained with the wounded man. We each

is comrade, Wright, as fixed with Superintendent Dolan. When he returned I could not but think that he had been hauled over the coals fo

in spite of what some of them say. See! I

se Kennedy and the other to share in the watching with Miss Trelawny, who had insisted on remaining up herself. She had, in order to prepare for the duty, slept for several hours in the afternoon. We had all taken counsel together, and had arranged thus for the watching in Mr. Trelawny's room. Mrs. Grant was to remain beside the patient till twelve, when Miss Trelawny would relieve her. The new nurse was to sit in

r Winchester had evidently been thinking of my respirator, for he told me he would go out and get one. Indeed, he took to

he night