ed Mr. Grimm.

"None of your business," came the curt answer.

"Who shot you?"

"None of your business."

"A man?"

Senor Alvarez was silent.

"A woman?"

Still silence.

With some new idea Mr. Grimm turned away suddenly and started out into
the hall. He met a maid-servant at the door, coming in. Her face was
blanched, and she stuttered through sheer excitement.

"A lady, sir--a lady--" she began babblingly.

Mr. Grimm calmly closed the door, shutting in the wounded man, Chief
Campbell and the others. Then he caught the maid sharply by the arm and
shook some coherence into her disordered brain.

"A lady--she ran away, sir," the girl went on, in blank surprise.

"What lady?" demanded Mr. Grimm coldly. "Where did she run from? Why did
she run?" The maid stared at him with mouth agape. "Begin at the
beginning."

"I was in that room, farther down the hall, sir," the maid explained.
"The door was open. I heard the shot, and it frightened me so--I don't
know--I was afraid to look out right away, sir. Then, an instant later,
a lady come running along the hall, sir--that way," and she indicated
the rear of the house. "Then I came to the door and looked out to see
who it was, and what was the matter, sir. I was standing there when a
man--a man came along after the lady, and banged the door in my face,
sir. The door had a spring lock, and I was so--so frightened and excited
I couldn't open it right away, sir, and--and when I did I came here to
see what was the matter." She drew a deep breath and stopped.

"That all?" demanded Mr. Grimm.

"Yes, sir, except--except the lady had a pistol in her hand, sir--"

Mr. Grimm regarded her in silence for a moment.

"Who was the lady?" he asked at last.

"I forget her name, sir. She was the lady who--who fainted in the
ball-room, sir, just a few minutes ago."

Whatever emotion may have been aroused within Mr. Grimm it certainly
found no expression in his face. When he spoke again his voice was quite
calm.

"Miss Thorne, perhaps?"

"Yes, sir, that's the name--Miss Thorne. I was in the ladies'
dressing-room when she was brought in, sir, and I remember some one
called her name."

Mr. Grimm took the girl, still a-quiver with excitement, and led her
along the hall to where Gray stood.

"Take this girl in charge, Gray," he directed. "Lock her up, if
necessary. Don't permit her to say one word to anybody--_anybody_ you
understand, except the chief."

Mr. Grimm left