Page:Quiller-Couch--Old fires and profitable ghosts.djvu/113

Rh His eyebrows went up at this, but contracted again upon the twinge of his wound. "I will attend to him first," said he shortly, and led the way to the strong room. "Hullo!" was his next word, as he came to the door—for in my perturbation and hurry I had forgotten to lock it.

"He is too weak to move," I stammered, as my poor excuse.

"Nevertheless it was not well done," he replied, pushing past me.

The prisoner lay on his pallet, gasping, with his eyes wide open in a rigor. "Take her away!" he panted. "Take her away! She has been here!"

"Hey?" I cried: but my Master turned on me sharply. To this day I know not how much of evil he suspected.

"I will summon you if I need you. For the present you will leave us here alone."

Nor can I tell what passed between them for the next half-an-hour. Only that when he came forth my Master's face was white and set beneath its dry smear of blood. Passing me, who waited at the end of the corridor, he said, but without meeting my eyes:

"Go to him. The end is near."

I went to him. He lay pretty much as I had left him, in a kind of stupor; out of which, within the hour, he started suddenly and began to rave. Soon I had to send for a couple of our stablemen; and not too soon. For by this he was foaming at the mouth