Page:The Breath of Scandal (1922).djvu/74

 he was going down to meet a man on business; that must be Russell. Your assistant, Carson, is he. He and his wife were out; they'd been out for dinner; they were just coming back when they met Mr. Hale outside and Russell—that's Carson—brought him up here to talk business. They all came up together. The flat here was empty; there was a man in it; they surprised him when they came in with their key. He tried to get out the rear and Mr. Hale and Russell—that's Carson—chased him; he had to shoot to get away and he shot Mr. Hale. Oh, it's full of holes, doctor; I know it. But something like that's got to do! You'll try it, sir! Marjorie won't be able to think much; maybe we can put it over together! Anyway, I've got to go down and let them in now, or no one knows what they'll do."

Gregg opened the front door and ran down the two flights of stairs to the vestibule. Billy had begun to pound upon the door to the stairway; he had succeeded, indeed, in rousing the people in the first-floor apartment; for their door opened as Gregg came by, but it closed again at once. Billy, seeing Gregg, stopped knocking; he stepped back a little and put his arm about Marjorie. Gregg opened the door.

"He's alive, Marjorie," he said to her, almost steadily. "Everybody up there was busy. Doctor Grantham and Russell and his wife. That's why nobody could answer till I got in the back way."

"What was it, Gregg?" she demanded of him.

They were all on the stairs now. Of course Marjorie could think of nothing else but the injury to her father; now she could not question anything he should say; but he realized that everything he said