aw it raised above
the secretary's head, they saw the other hand take the girl by the throat
and push her towards the table. A wild scream broke from Lenora's lips.
Quest wavered for a moment. The picture faded out.

"Oh, stop it!" Lenora begged. "Haven't we seen enough? We know the truth
now. Stop!"

The criminologist made no reply. His eyes were still fixed upon the
Professor, who showed some signs of returning consciousness. He was
gripping at his collar. He seemed to have difficulty with his breathing.
Quest suddenly braced himself. He pushed Lenora back.

"One more," he muttered. "There's something growing in his mind. I can
feel it. Wait!"

Again they all turned towards the mirror. They saw the hallway of Ashleigh
House, the pictures upon the walls, they could almost feel the quiet
silence of night. They saw the Professor come stealing down the stairs. He
was wearing the black velvet suit with the cowl in his hand. They watched
him pause before a certain door, draw on the cowl and disappear. Through
the opening they could see Lord Ashleigh asleep in bed, the moonlight
streaming through the open window across the counterpane. They saw the
Professor turn with a strange, horrible look in his face and close the
door. Lenora burst into sobs.

"No more!" she begged. "No more, please!"

Suddenly, without any warning, Laura also began to sob hysterically.
French mopped his forehead with his handkerchief. His face was
unrecognisable. He had lost all his healthy colour, and his lips were
twitching. Quest himself was as pale as death, and there were black rims
under his eyes.

"We've had enough," he admitted, swaying a little on his feet. "Undo the
other band, if you can, Lenora."

He leaned forward and released their victim. The whole atmosphere of the
place seemed immediately to change. Lenora drew a long, convulsive breath
and sank into a chair. The Professor sat up, and gazed at them all with
the air of a man who had just awakened from a dream. His features
relapsed, his mouth once more resolved itself into pleasant and natural
lines. He smiled at them cordially.

"Have I, by any chance, slept?" he asked. "Or--"

He never finished his sentence. His eyes fell upon the mirror, the metal
band lying by his side. He read the truth in the faces still turned
towards him. He rose to his feet. There was another and equally sudden
change in his demeanour and tone. He carried himself with the calm dignity
of the scient