The Gloved Hand

smile, put his torch in one pocket, took a han

he remarked, and then his gaze wandered to

d, but her body no longer lay inert and lifeless, for from moment to moment it was

-lifted him to his feet. "Listen to me," he said, more sternly, and shook him a little, for Swain's eyes were dull and vacant. "I want you to sit quietly in a chair for a while, till you get your senses

m of the chair, I could see that a little blood was still oozing from the wound on the wrist. Godfrey saw it, too, and picked up the hand

stay here half an hour by

d glanced at the dead man

elephoning," he explained. "We must get a doctor up here at once; a

rse. But please get ba

fter a last look around the r

her, and I finally pulled a chair to Swain's side. He, at least, offered a sort of companionship. He was sitting with his head hanging forward in a way that reminded me most unpleasantly of the huddled figure by the table, and did not seem to be aware of my presence. I trie

he night, but there were two things which, looked at from any angle, I could not underst

ion in which he had come back to us over the wall, and in which he was still plunged? The discovery of the murder and of Miss Vaughan's senseless body might have accounted for it, but his in

at Godfrey and I had not completed our exploration of the house. We had stopped at the gruesome room where the adept and his serpent gazed unwinking into the crystal sphere. There was at least one suite on the same floor we had not looked into, and

art from the end of my spine, travel up it, and pass off across my scalp. There was someone in the room behind me; someone with gleamin

alk and Godfrey appeared s

ave sworn that I had heard behind me the rustle of a silken dress. But there was no

y asked, stepping pa

ure of it-I felt someone-I felt his eyes on me-and

a dr

y thoughts were on th

he room, and looked out into the

and told him to bring Goldberger along. He can't get here for an hour anyway. And I've got a change here for Swain," he added, with a gesture toward some garments he carried over one arm; "also a

t account," and I raised the flask

frey suggested, "and help him to get cleaned up.

's probab

ll smash the lock, if there's no other way. I'd like you to get Swain into sha

which Godfrey held out to me. Then I went over to Swain and put

rly that I had to draw it away. He watched me longingly as I screwed on the cap and slipped

I said, "and get

hall. Godfrey had preceded us, found the light

Bring him down again, as soon as you get him fixed up. You'll

ested himself of coat and shirt and was soon washing arms and face vigorously. Then he dried himself, and stood

etter?"

tie, all this quite composedly and without hesitation or clumsiness. Yet I felt, in some indefinable way, that something was seriously wrong with

s own coat, but

d. "The sleeve is blood-stained and there's a long tear down the side. Take t

ther one. I rolled the soiled garments into a bundle, took them

n I reached the door, I saw that it was the doctor and the nurse. The former

he said, turning to Godfrey. "He

rey; "shall I sh

arms, followed Godfrey out into the hall. The nurse pic

ent he did not so much as glance in that direction. He stood patiently beside me, with his eyes on the floor, and when my restraini

as back i

id. "He seems to be all right. But if Miss Vaughan is

e he sat, flaccid and limp, apparently half-asleep. "He is suffering from shock, or something of th

he doctor look at him when he comes down," and he sank wearily

et. I wonder what the man

crystal, no doubt. Do

odfrey," I added, "doesn't the abse

s! We didn't look through the whole house, you know. I'm not going to, either; I'm going to let the p

, and yet it was the centre about which all these other strange occurrences revolved. Whose hand was it had thrown that cord about the throat and drawn it tight? What motive lay behind? Fears

is chair, his eyes closed, apparently lost in thought,

opiate and she was sleeping calmly; the nervous trembling had subsided and he hoped that when she waked she woul

discovered her father stra

the doctor remarked, imperturba

es

angled,

d at the neck, then disengaged one of the tightly clenched hands from the chair

he been dead?"

"The muscles are just beginning to stiffen. It looks li

s mur

otified t

ll be he

to our footing in the house; but if there was a question in his mind

e murderer?" he

e found

denly and picked up something f

eld to the light an object which, as I sprang to

a small handkerchief-a woman's handkerchief-of delicate texture. It was fairly soaked with blo

ised his eyes

u make of i

aid Godfrey; "but scar

n nodded. "I'd better put it back where I found it,

I turned to find him still drooping forw

suffering from shock," and I motioned toward the limp

n he put his hand under Swain's chin, raised his head and gazed intently int

and rapidly over the right side of Swain's head. "I thought so," he added. "There's a considerable swelling. We must

dfrey explained. "You'd better take him

octor, and together he and I raised S

dozing off under the influence of the opiate the doctor had given him. "He'll be all right

o him," I answered. "You'll c

way we had come. "Besides," he added, frankly, "I'm c

rgencies, I reflected; and I liked his voic

Mr. Godfrey. We heard Miss Vaughan scream and ran over

u'll call upon me. Hello!" he added, as we turned through the gate into the grounds of Elmhurst, and he threw

ice had