Page:Randall Parrish--My Lady of the South.djvu/178



N complete amazement I heard these words, too surprised for the moment to utter a syllable. It was fear, then, which had driven her here. Yet this fact did not in any way lessen the act as proof of her confidence. In need she had turned to me for help, believing in, and trusting me. Yet surely she must have been frightened at a shadow; the man who had killed Navarre had fled, dropped from the open window; the thought that he had dared return to the scene of his crime was incomprehensible.

"You say the assassin is still here?—in this house?" I questioned. "Are you sure?"

"No, not sure, but 1 have every reason to believe so. Certainly some one is in this house other than I know. One of the servants caught a glimpse of him, and I have seen that which has aroused my own suspicions. Lieutenant King, I am not a nervous creature, given to hysteria, but a mountain girl accustomed to see deeds of violence, and have been taught to rely upon myself for protection. I have not dreamed this, but I actually believe there is some presence in this house seeking evil."

"But, Miss Denslow, how can this be possible?" I urged earnestly, convinced by the expression of her face [ 168 ]