Page:Frank Packard - Greater Love Hath No Man.djvu/298

 attitude with his arms still held out; the doctor's hand and his handkerchief were glued immovably to his forehead. Only the slight little figure in white stirred—she seemed to sway queerly from side to side.

An instant the silence held, then it was broken by a low, moaning cry from Janet—then a cry in words, sobbing, anguished.

"Oh, dad! Oh, dad! Don't you understand? I love him. I—"

With a quick step toward her, the warden caught her in his arms—and as quickly, the spell lifted, Doctor Kreelmar rushed impetuously across the room, launched himself upon the guard and shoved the man out onto the veranda.

"You—you confounded, blundering idiot!" he exploded ferociously. "You—you—"

"What's the matter?" gasped the bewildered guard.

"Matter! Matter!" rasped out the little man. "None of your business! D'ye hear? None of your business! Shut up!"

"Yes, sir," said the guard weakly.

"Don't you know anything—eh?" demanded the choleric little doctor. "Don't you know anything?"

"I—I don't know, sir," stammered the guard helplessly.

"Yes, you do, too!" asserted Doctor Kreelmar fiercely. "Yes, you do, too!"—he stabbed viciously with his forefinger at the top button of the guard's uniform. "You know you don't know anything—not a thing of what happened in there—not a thing."

"No, sir," said the guard.