"Have you strength to tell me just what happened, Miss Vaughan?" I
asked gently.
She controlled herself with an effort and took her hands from her face.
"Yes," she said; "I can tell you. I remember that I stood for a
moment at the door, looking about the room, for at the first glance I
thought there was no one there. I thought, for an instant, that father
had gone into the grounds, for the curtain at the other door was
trembling a little, as though someone had just passed."
"Ah!" I said, and looked at Goldberger.
"It might have been merely the breeze, might it not?" he asked.
"I suppose so. The next instant I saw my father huddled forward in his
chair. I was sure he had had a seizure of some sort; I ran to him, and
raised his head...."
Again she stopped, her eyes covered, and a slow shudder shook her from
head to foot. I could guess what a shock the sight of that horrible
face had been!
"I do not remember anything more," she added, in a whisper.
For a moment, we all sat silent. The only portion of her evidence
which could in any way help Swain was her discovery of the swaying
curtain, and even that, as Goldberger had pointed out, might easily
mean nothing.
Pages:
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196