She made no reply; but when his mother repeated the question soon after, in a sharp voice, she—­she who had never in her life told a lie—­said with hasty decision:  “I could not sleep, and the bark of the dog and a cry for help brought me here.”

“I call that having sharp ears!” retorted Neforis with an incredulous shrug.  “For the future, at any rate, under similar circumstances you need not be so prompt.  How long, pray, have young girls trusted themselves alone when murder is cried?”

“If you had but armed yourself, fair daughter of heroes!” added Orion; but he had no sooner spoken than he bitterly regretted it.  What a glance Paula cast at him!  It was more than she could bear to hear him address her in jest, almost in mockery:  him of all men, and at this moment for the first time—­and to be thus reminded of her father!  She answered proudly and with cutting sharpness:  “I leave weapons to fighting men and murderers!”

“To fighting men, and murderers!” repeated Orion, pretending not to understand the point of her words.  He forced a smile; but then, feeling that he must make some defence, he added bitterly:  “Really, that sounds like the utterance of a feeble-hearted damsel!  But let me beg you to come closer and be calm.  These pitiable gashes on the poor creature’s shoulder—­I care more about her than you do, take my word for it—­were inflicted by a four-footed assassin, whose weapons were given by nature.  Yes, that is what happened.  Rough old Beki keeps watch at the door of the tablinum.  What brought the poor child here I know not, but he caught scent of her and pulled her down.”

“Or nothing of the kind!” interrupted Neforis, picking up a pair of man’s shoes which lay on the ground by the sufferer.

Orion turned as pale as death and hastily took the shoes from his mother’s hand; he would have liked to fling them up and away through the open roof.  How came they here?  Whose were they?  Who had been here this night?  Before going into the tablinum he had locked the outer door on that side, and had returned subsequently to open it again for the people in the court-yard.  It was not till after he had done this that the crazy girl had rushed upon him; she must have been lurking somewhere about when he first went through the atrium but had not then found courage enough to place herself in his way.  When she had thrown herself upon him, the dog had pulled her down before he could prevent it:  he would certainly have sprung past her and have come to the rescue but that he must thus have betrayed his visit to the tablinum.

It had required all his presence of mind to hurry to his room, fling on his night garments, and rush back to the scene of disaster.  When Paula had first called for help he was already on his way, and with what feelings!  Never had he felt so bewildered, so confused, so deeply dissatisfied with himself; for the first time in his life, as he stood face to face with Paula, he dared not look straight into the eyes of his fellow-man.