We heard the clock in the corridor chiming the quarters with its silver bell till two o’clock; and then a strange feeling came over me.  I could see from Miss Trelawny’s movement as she looked round, that she also had some new sensation.  The new detective had just looked in; we two were alone with the unconscious patient for another quarter of an hour.

My heart began to beat wildly.  There was a sense of fear over me.  Not for myself; my fear was impersonal.  It seemed as though some new person had entered the room, and that a strong intelligence was awake close to me.  Something brushed against my leg.  I put my hand down hastily and touched the furry coat of Silvio.  With a very faint far-away sound of a snarl he turned and scratched at me.  I felt blood on my hand.  I rose gently and came over to the bedside.  Miss Trelawny, too, had stood up and was looking behind her, as though there was something close to her.  Her eyes were wild, and her breast rose and fell as though she were fighting for air.  When I touched her she did not seem to feel me; she worked her hands in front of her, as though she was fending off something.

There was not an instant to lose.  I seized her in my arms and rushed over to the door, threw it open, and strode into the passage, calling loudly: 

“Help!  Help!”

In an instant the two Detectives, Mrs. Grant, and the Nurse appeared on the scene.  Close on their heels came several of the servants, both men and women.  Immediately Mrs. Grant came near enough, I placed Miss Trelawny in her arms, and rushed back into the room, turning up the electric light as soon as I could lay my hand on it.  Sergeant Daw and the Nurse followed me.

We were just in time.  Close under the great safe, where on the two successive nights he had been found, lay Mr. Trelawny with his left arm, bare save for the bandages, stretched out.  Close by his side was a leaf-shaped Egyptian knife which had lain amongst the curios on the shelf of the broken cabinet.  Its point was stuck in the parquet floor, whence had been removed the blood-stained rug.

But there was no sign of disturbance anywhere; nor any sign of any one or anything unusual.  The Policemen and I searched the room accurately, whilst the Nurse and two of the servants lifted the wounded man back to bed; but no sign or clue could we get.  Very soon Miss Trelawny returned to the room.  She was pale but collected.  When she came close to me she said in a low voice: 

“I felt myself fainting.  I did not know why; but I was afraid!”

The only other shock I had was when Miss Trelawny cried out to me, as I placed my hand on the bed to lean over and look carefully at her father: 

“You are wounded.  Look! look! your hand is bloody.  There is blood on the sheets!” I had, in the excitement, quite forgotten Silvio’s scratch.  As I looked at it, the recollection came back to me; but before I could say a word Miss Trelawny had caught hold of my hand and lifted it up.  When she saw the parallel lines of the cuts she cried out again: