as though they were clamped in iron boots to the floor, he began his tale.
“We had proceeded through the village of Blacklock Tor and were about twenty-three miles upon our way when the young lady said she felt faint and would like some water. There being no water apparent, except what was in the radiator, madam, I drove on a couple of miles to the nearest village. There, while Sir Ferdinand ministered to the young lady, I purchased a packet of cigarettes for myself and a couple of cigars to give to Henri, me owing him these on account of a small wager which I had had with him some time previous, and conversed with the woman behind the counter. It was she who had supplied the young lady with a glass of water, and she mentioned to me that she thought the young lady had a sweet face, but looked exceedingly poorly. I concurred in this expression of opinion—”
“You don’t really think the girl has a sweet face, George?”
“I had taken very little account of the young lady up to then, madam, for the reason of her being a passenger and hardly my business, but since you ask me, I thought she looked somewhat ethereal.”
“Do you mean it, George?”
“Well, madam, I thought I did, but since you question the term, perhaps I don’t.”
“Now, be independent, George, and out with it like a man. What made you use the word ethereal?”
“She seemed to me not of this world, madam. She reminds me of what I used to think nuns were like before we knew those here.”
‘’You don’t call the nuns here ethereal?‘’
“They seem to me too practical, madam, to be warrantably called ethereal.”
“Wasn’t the girl practical, then?”
“I don’t know how to answer, madam, for here’s what happened. After we got on our way again, Sir Ferdinand, I fancy, had fallen into a doze, and all of a sudden the left side back window cracked as though someone had struck it smartly with a halfpenny, and at the same minute I heard the young lady cry out. I stopped the car at once, got down and opened the door. She was whimpering and holding her arm—her left arm, madam—and was moaning out.
“ ‘They’ve got me! Oh! They’ve got me!’
“Sir Ferdinand had awakened, and was staring at her and saying:
“ ‘Pull yourself together, my dear child! Whatever is the matter! ’
“He seemed a little testy, because, I think, he was startled, but I’d seen the blood running down, for our inside lights were on, and I said: ‘Hold hard, sir, a minute, I believe the young lady’s hurt!’
“We staunched the blood—a rather nasty cut, madam, that had slashed the sleeve of her coat and dress, and penetrated fairly deeply into the upper arm, about three inches, I should judge, above the elbow—and I drove on pretty fast to find a doctor. He dressed the arm—he thought she had cut it on broken glass from a car-smash, I believe, and none of us, not the young lady, either, said anything different to him.”
“She did it herself, I presume?”
“Very hysterical subject, I should fancy, madam. Rather like some of Herr Hekel’s young ladies, I imagine. Full of imagination, and out for sympathy and notice.”
“And you still looked upon her as ethereal?”
“With all the colour gone from her face, madam, and her eyes all dark underneath, and a general limpness of demeanour consequent upon loss of blood, I must persist, madam, in the description. She wanted to tell us some long rigmarole about having seen a man on the running board of the car. Sir Ferdinand, who has not exactly taken a fancy to the young lady, madam, told her, somewhat abruptly, that this was nonsense, and she made matters not exactly better by referring him to the fact that he had been asleep at the time.
“ ‘Yes, but
“But did you find the weapon that she used?”
“It was difficult without searching the young lady, madam. Sir Ferdinand remonstrated with her a bit, and told her she must calm down, and then Celestine gave her some milk when we got her home—she wouldn’t have anything to eat, so Celestine told me later—and put her to bed. Then Sir Ferdinand had his dinner, and I sat down to supper with Henri and Celestine.”
“I half-expected that my son would come back in the car.”
“He thought he had better be there to keep an eye on the young lady, madam, I fancy. He specifically referred to her as the apple of your eye, and said he must watch his step, as you would expect an account of his stewardship.”
“Quite right. I shall. Go and send off a wire, George, to tell my son that Miss Doyle can go to New York as soon as she likes, and that the next boat sails on Wednesday.”
“Very good, madam.” He hesitated. “I was to be sure and ask after the other young lady, madam, so the young lady we took with us got me to promise.”
“She’s lucky to be alive, from what I can make out. She fell off a roof before you left.”
“We heard nothing of it, madam.”
“No. By the way, I suppose Miss Doyle said nothing about returning here when you found she had been cut on the arm, George?”
“She mentioned it frequently, madam, but Sir Ferdinand said he had his orders, and would proceed, as planned, to Wandles.”
“Interesting. You knew she wanted to say good-bye to her cousin, and couldn’t find her, did you?”
“I was not so informed, madam, no.”
