ing her own health; but his word of caution was
never uttered, for as he approached her she spun round with a last
fierce torrent of words, and, stooping down, with incredible swiftness
plucked a sharp dagger from some secret hiding-place, and lunged at
Anstice with all her maddened might.

Luckily for him her excitement impeded her aim; and while she doubtless
intended stabbing him to the heart she merely inflicted a flesh wound on
the upper part of the arm which he had raised to defend himself.

The next moment Chloe, with a quite unlooked-for strength, had wrested
the weapon from the woman's grasp; and then ensued a scene which even
Anstice could hardly bear to look back upon in after days.

Whether or no his theory of possession were justified, the woman was for
the time being beside herself. Seeing the dagger in Chloe's hand she
threw herself upon her mistress and struggled wildly to regain her
property, inflicting a series of cuts on her own hand before Chloe could
get free to hurl the deadly thing into a corner of the room; and even
when Anstice and Carstairs had overpowered her with their superior might
she fought for freedom like a mad woman. But this abnormal strength
could not continue. Suddenly, as Anstice had foreseen, the inevitable
collapse occurred. Nature could stand no more, and with a last wild
writhe the woman slipped through the hands which held her, and uttering
a sharp cry fell to the floor in a state of unconsciousness.

* * * * *

Half an hour later Anstice came downstairs and re-entered the room where
Major Carstairs sat alone over the now brightly burning fire.

"Well!" The soldier's voice was anxious. "How is the woman? Oh, and what
about your arm? Was it badly hurt?"

"No--only a very slight flesh wound, and Mrs. Carstairs has kindly bound
it up for me." He relinquished the subject of his own injury abruptly.
"The woman is asleep now--she grew excited again, so I've given her some
bromide, and she will be quiet enough for the rest of the night."

"My wife is with her?"

"Yes. Mrs. Carstairs insists on staying there for the present."

Anstice took a cigarette from the case his host held out, and Major
Carstairs made a gesture towards the tantalus on the table.

"Have a peg--I'm sure you want it!"

"Well, I think I do," returned Anstice with a smile. "We had rather a
tough time of it upstairs just now." He mixed himself a drink as he
spoke. "Once a S