Lucille looked around quickly.
"What is the matter, Muriel?" she asked. "Are you faint?"
"Faint, no," Lady Carey answered roughly. "I'm quite well. Don't
take any notice of me. Do you hear? Don't look at me."
Lucille obeyed. Lady Carey sat quite still with her hand pressed
to her side. It was a stifling pain. She was sure that she had
heard at last. "Sudden death of a visitor at the Carlton Hotel."
The place was beginning to go round.
Saxe Leinitzer returned. His face to her seemed positively ghastly.
He carried an evening paper in his hand. She snatched it away from
him. It was there before her in bold, black letters:
"Sudden death in the Carlton Hotel."
Her eyes, dim a moment ago, suddenly blazed fire upon him.
"It shall be a life for a life," she whispered. "If you have killed
him you shall die."
Lucille looked at them bewildered. And just then came a sharp tap
at the box door. No one answered it, but the door was softly opened.
Mr. Sabin stood upon the threshold.
"Pray, don't let me disturb you," he said. "I was unable to refrain
from paying you a brief visit. Why, Prince, Lady Carey! I can
assure you that I am no ghost."
He glanced from one to the other with a delicate smile of mockery
parting his thin lips. For upon the Prince's forehead the
perspiration stood out like beads, and he shrank away from Mr.
Pages:
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228