Immediately she lifted up her voice in a thin, querulous shriek—­

“No!  Dick, Dick—­don’t leave me! Dick”—­

. . .  And then it came—­sped from that hovering Hate which hung above—­dropping soundlessly, implacable through the utter darkness of the night and crashing into devilish life against a corner of the house.

Followed by a terrible flash and roar—­a chaos of unimaginable sound.  It seemed as though the whole world had split into fragments and were rocketing off into space; and, in quick succession, came the rumble of falling beams and masonry, and the dense dust of disintegrated plaster mingling with the fumes of high explosive.

Sara was conscious of being shot violently across the hall, and then everything went out in illimitable black darkness.

CHAPTER XXXVI

“FROM SUDDEN DEATH——­”

“Sara!  Sara!  For God’s sake, open your eyes!”

The anguished tones pierced through the black curtain which had suddenly cut away the outer world from Sara’s consciousness, and she opened her eyes obediently, to find herself looking straight into Garth’s face bent above her—­a sickly white in the yellow glare of the hurricane lamp he was holding.

“Are you hurt?” His voice came again insistently, sharp with hideous fear.

She sat up, breathing rather fast.

“No,” she said, as though surprised.  “I’m not hurt—­not the least bit.”

With Garth’s help, she struggled to her feet and stood upright—­rather shakily, it is true, but still able to accomplish the feat without much difficulty.  She began to laugh weakly—­a little helplessly.

“I think—­I think I’ve only had my wind knocked out,” she said.  Then, as gradually the comprehension of events returned to her:  “The others?  Who’s hurt?  Oh, Garth!  Is any one—­killed?”

“No, no one, thank God!” He reassured her hastily.  His arm went round her, and for a moment their lips met in a silent passion of thanksgiving.

“But you—­how did you come here?” she asked, as they drew apart once more.  “You . . . weren’t . . . here?”—­her brows contracting in a puzzled frown as she endeavoured to recall the incidents immediately preceding the bombing of the house.  “We’d—­we’d just gone to bed.”

“I was dining with the Herricks.  The raid began just as I was leaving them, so Judson and I drove straight on here instead of going home.”

Sara pressed his hand.

“Bless you, dear!” she whispered quickly.  Then, recollection returning more completely:  “Tim?  Is Tim safe?”

“Tim?”—­sharply.

“He was upstairs.  Where is Doctor Dick?  Did he—­”

“I’m not far off,” came Selwyn’s voice, from the mouth of a dark cavity that had once been the study doorway.  “Come over here—­but step carefully.  The floor’s strewn with stuff.”

Garth piloted Sara skillfully across the debris that littered the floor, and they joined the group of shadowy figures huddled together in the doorless study.