not be taken from us?"
"I hope not. I have treated similar cases."
"Ah! then there is nothing abnormal in this?" he cried eagerly.
"I cannot exactly say that, Mr Shaw. When the poor young lady recoversshe will be able to tell us what really occurred to cause her mysteriousseizure," Sir George replied gravely.
"Yes," said Shaw. "I hope she will be able to clear up the mystery.You think in an hour or so she will be conscious again?"
"I sincerely hope so."
And then both men left the room together. Towards nine o'clock thecrafty-faced butler came to inform me that Captain Cardew wished to seeme, and, a few seconds later, I grasped hands with Guy Nicholson'sfriend.
The dining-room was empty, for, though the table had been laid, nobodyhad thought of dinner. Contrary to expectations, alas! Asta had notrecovered consciousness. Only ten minutes before I had seen Redwood,who admitted that she had taken a slight turn for the worse, and thattheir anxiety had been considerably increased thereby.
I had then sought Shaw, but could not find him. He had gone over to thegarage for a moment, Mrs Howard told me.
As soon as I got Cardew alone, however, I told him as briefly as I couldwhat had occurred.
"Then Miss Seymour's case and Guy's are practically identical!" hecried, staring at me.
"Yes. And I want you to stay here with me and investigate," I said.Then I related how, on the door of her room being burst in, she had,before losing consciousness, made reference to some mysterious hand.
"That's distinctly curious," Cardew declared. "I wonder what she couldhave meant?"
"Ah! that remains to us to discover. Will you assist me?"
"Of course," cried the Captain enthusiastically. "Only I hope the pooryoung lady will recover. Surely the doctors ought to be able todiagnose something!"
"They can't say anything definite. It's for you and me to furnishproofs."
"What do you suspect, Kemball?" he asked, looking straight into my face.
"Wait and see," I replied. "At eleven o'clock, if Asta is not thenconscious, we will go and investigate the room in which she was lyingwhen seized."
We ate some cold meat and drank a glass of claret, for I had touchednothing that day, while he had had a long journey from Aldershot. Thenagain we sought news of my beloved.
Her precarious condition had not altered, and she remained stillunconscious. Afterwards I was told by Mrs Howard that Shaw was in thelibrary, writing. He was greatly upset at the girl's continuedunconsciousness, and had expressed a desire not to be disturbed. As Ipassed the door I heard him speaking over the telephone to some one.All I heard was the number--the number of the woman Olliffe! I tried togather what he said, but was unable. He was purposely speaking in a lowvoice--so as not to be overheard.
When the long old grandfather's clock in the hall had chimed eleven, Iascended the wide staircase with Cardew, and with an electric torchwhich I had several hours ago found in the library, we gained thelanding.
Redwood brushed past in haste, and in reply to my question gave butlittle hope of my poor love's recovery. "Mortimer is about to make alast effort with another injection," he said. "But I fear, Mr Kemball,that we must now abandon all hope."
My heart stood still. His words fell upon me as though he had struck mea blow.
"No hope?" I managed to gasp.
"No, none, Mr Kemball," replied the doctor, and he hurried away tofetch something from the servants' quarters.
I made no further remark. Mere words failed me. If Asta were lost tome, then it was my duty to avenge her death. Therefore I drew Cardewinto the dark bedroom in which the dying girl had witnessed the hideousapparition of the hand, and then, with difficulty--for one hinge wasbroken--I closed the door.
Afterwards, I switched on the electric light and we made a minute andcareful examination of the apartment. But we discovered nothing.Before entering there I noticed that the door of Shaw's room adjoiningwas closed, for he was still downstairs writing.
Presently, when we had satisfied ourselves that in the room was nothingsuspicious, I pointed out to my friend that if we remained quietly inthe darkness, without speaking, no one would suspect us of being there.
"Now," I added, "I'm going to lie on that bed while you sit in yonderarmchair in the corner; you take the torch, and at sign of the slightestmovement flash on a light at anything you may see. Don't hesitate,for--well, perhaps my life may be in danger, like Guy's. Who knows?"
I had taken from the corner Asta's small ash walking-stick which shesometimes used when tramping about the country, and with this in my handI lay down upon the pillow, fully dressed as I was.
Then Cardew, breathless with excitement, switched off the electriclight, plunging the room in darkness.
Gradually, when our eyes became used to it, we could distinguish a faintgrey light from the window, but it was not sufficient for me todistinguish my friend, seated as he was in the corner with light andweapon ready.
An hour passed, but nothing happened. We were waiting there, everynerve strained to the utmost tension, but in vain.
At last a sudden suggestion crossed my mind, and leaving Cardew in theroom, with his torch ready, I went next door into Shaw's room, which wasstill dark, and, having closed the door, imitated that peculiar whistleof his. Three or four times I whistled, surprised that I could imitatehim so exactly. Then I waited, listening intently.
I could hear nothing.
So I crept back again to the bed in Asta's room, for I think Cardew wasnow becoming impatient. Then, while lying upon the bed, I cautioned himto be very careful.
"Open your light at the slightest sound, remember."
I held my breath, and could hear my own heart beating in the deadsilence. Then after the lapse of a few moments--for we were bothlistening to the hum of a receding motor-car, and wondering whose itwas--I suddenly gave vent to that low, curious whistle.
Once, twice, thrice I repeated it, low and cautious, so that any onepassing the door might not be attracted by it.
Then I listened again with bated breath.
A few seconds went by--seconds of intense anxiety.
Then, of a sudden, my quick ears caught a curious ticking sound, andnext moment a flood of white light fell upon the bedclothes close to myhead.
I sprang up with a shriek, for there--close to me--I saw _Something_--the terrible claw-like Hand!
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.
DISCLOSES SHAW'S SECRET.
The Thing was ugly, hairy, and horrible--a huge dark brown tarantula,the size of a man's palm, which, the instant it was discovered, turnedand sped across the bedclothes and disappeared in the darkness.
Cardew had jumped to his feet with a wild, startled ejaculation ofhorror, having switched on the light, but though we rapidly searched theroom high and low, yet nowhere could we find the horrible arachnid. Butthe secret was out! The revolting hairy thing, which had on that nightin Arnay-le-Duc appeared to me like a weird hand, was that huge venomousspider whose bite was as fatal as that of a cobra!
Armed with sticks, Cardew and I groped into every hole and corner ofthat room, but it had vanished so suddenly that we could not decide inwhich direction it had gone.
"Well!" gasped my friend, amazed. "By Gad! I never expected that!"
"Neither did I," was my breathless reply. "But the reason of poor Guy'sdeath is now vividly apparent. He was bitten by that arachnid, whichShaw, in all probability, purposely left in his young friend's library,prior to returning home on that fatal night. I think I realise thetruth!" I cried. "This particular species of lycosa tarantula is, Ihave read, found in the primeval forests of Peru, and will only attackhuman beings when they are motionless or asleep. Its bite is mostdeadly. It causes stupor, followed by coma or paralysis, and the victimrapidly dies. Yet if the mark of its bite be concealed and unsuspected,as it may easily be in the hair, then the symptoms are identical withthose of inflammation of the brain--the disease which from poor
Guy issupposed to have died!"
"Then you suspect Shaw of having kept the horrible thing as a pet--eh!"he gasped, staring at me amazed.
"Both as a pet and as an instrument of murder," I replied. "The thingbeing nocturnal in its habits would, if introduced into a room, remaincarefully hidden all day, and only attack the victim at night while heis sleeping. I had a narrow escape while motoring in France withShaw,"--and then, in a few words, I described my own experience, andalso Asta's previous sight of what had appeared to both of us as aweird, uncanny hand.
"Then this scoundrel Shaw evidently intended that you should die!" heexclaimed. "By Jove! old chap, you have had a narrow escape!"
"Yes. He must have carried his dangerous pet in secret in a box, Isuppose.