Rosa was also dismissed to seek what slumber was possible;
and then the four men took up their positions as before--Mr. Wood and
Garnett keeping watch from the window of the room in which Cheniston had
died, while Anstice and Hassan stationed themselves at the second
window; Iris leaning against the wall, very pale, but apparently quite
composed, on a pile of rugs which Anstice had arranged for her well out
of range of a possible stray shot.

She had promised him to try to rest; but as the hours of the short night
wore away and the critical moment of dawn approached, he knew that
although she sat in silence with closed eyes she did not sleep; and
again he wondered, vainly, insistently, what had passed between husband
and wife before Death cut short their mutual life.

He felt he would have given much to know what reason Iris had to be
thankful that she and her husband had been alone in the hour of his
death; and although he had no intention of pursuing the subject he could
not quite stifle his curiosity as to her meaning.

But Sir Richard Wayne's daughter was the soul of loyalty; and although a
day was to come in which she and Anstice had few secrets from one
another, he was destined never to know that Bruce Cheniston had died
with Hilda Ryder's name upon his lips.

* * * * *

And so the short night passed; and with the dawn the long-expected
attack came at last.

CHAPTER VI

"Dr. Anstice"--Iris' voice was very low--"shall I disturb you if I come
and sit beside you for a little while? I--I feel rather--lonely--sitting
over there."

Anstice had turned round sharply as she began to speak and his heart
yearned over her pitifully as he noted the pallor of her cheeks, the
forlorn look in her grey eyes.

"Of course you won't disturb me." He dared not speak so emphatically as
he wished. "I shall be only too glad if you will come and sit here"--he
arranged the pile of rugs by him as he spoke--"only, if danger arises,
you will keep out of harm's way, won't you?"

"Yes." She said no more for a moment; but her assent satisfied him, and
he turned back to the window with a sudden feeling of joy at her
proximity which would not be repressed.

Presently he heard her low voice once more.

"Dr. Anstice, when you told me your story--long ago--why didn't you tell
me the name of the man to whom that poor girl was engaged? Didn't you
want me to know she was to have married--Bruce?" Her