It was nearly eleven o’clock when Doctor Winchester returned with Sir James Frere.  Somehow I felt my heart sink when from the landing I saw them in the hall below; I knew that Miss Trelawny was to have the pain of telling yet another stranger of her ignorance of her father’s life.

Sir James Frere was a man who commanded attention followed by respect.  He knew so thoroughly what he wanted himself, that he placed at once on one side all wishes and ideas of less definite persons.  The mere flash of his piercing eyes, or the set of his resolute mouth, or the lowering of his great eyebrows, seemed to compel immediate and willing obedience to his wishes.  Somehow, when we had all been introduced and he was well amongst us, all sense of mystery seemed to melt away.  It was with a hopeful spirit that I saw him pass into the sick-room with Doctor Winchester.

They remained in the room a long time; once they sent for the Nurse, the new one, Sister Doris, but she did not remain long.  Again they both went into Nurse Kennedy’s room.  He sent out the nurse attendant on her.  Doctor Winchester told me afterward that Nurse Kennedy, though she was ignorant of later matters, gave full and satisfactory answers to all Doctor Frere’s questions relating to her patient up to the time she became unconscious.  Then they went to the study, where they remained so long, and their voices raised in heated discussion seemed in such determined opposition, that I began to feel uneasy.  As for Miss Trelawny, she was almost in a state of collapse from nervousness before they joined us.  Poor girl! she had had a sadly anxious time of it, and her nervous strength had almost broken down.

They came out at last, Sir James first, his grave face looking as unenlightening as that of the sphinx.  Doctor Winchester followed him closely; his face was pale, but with that kind of pallor which looked like a reaction.  It gave me the idea that it had been red not long before.  Sir James asked that Miss Trelawny would come into the study.  He suggested that I should come also.  When we had entered, Sir James turned to me and said: 

“I understand from Doctor Winchester that you are a friend of Miss Trelawny, and that you have already considerable knowledge of this case.  Perhaps it will be well that you should be with us.  I know you already as a keen lawyer, Mr. Ross, though I never had the pleasure of meeting you.  As Doctor Winchester tells me that there are some strange matters outside this case which seem to puzzle him—­and others—­and in which he thinks you may yet be specially interested, it might be as well that you should know every phase of the case.  For myself I do not take much account of mysteries—­except those of science; and as there seems to be some idea of an attempt at assassination or robbery, all I can say is that if assassins were at work they ought to take some elementary lessons in anatomy before their next job, for they seem thoroughly ignorant.