ced the
nervous dread that he would be attacked in the avenue; but again he
returned unscathed.

"All's well," he said.

But from his tones I knew that he had not forgotten that it was at
this hour Marden and West had suffered mysterious attack.

Neither of us, I think, was disposed to talk. We both were
unwilling to break the silence, wherein, with all our ears, we
listened for the slightest disturbance.

And now my attention turned anew to the course of the slowly creeping
moon rays. In my mind an idea was struggling for definition. There
was something significant in the lunar lighting of the room. Why, I
asked myself, had the attack been made at one o'clock? Did the time
signify anything? If so, what? I looked toward Bristol.

His figure, the chair upon which he sat, were sharply outlined by
the cold light. The wall behind me, and to my left, was illuminated
brilliantly; but no light fell directly upon me.

The idea was taking shape. From the loggia and the avenue Bristol,
I reasoned, must be clearly visible. From the shrubbery on the
south, through the other windows could I be seen? Yes, silhouetted
against the moonlight!

A faint sound, quite indescribable, came to my ears from somewhere
outside-beyond.

"My God!" whispered Bristol. "Did you hear it?"

"Yes! What?"

"It must have been Morris!--"

Bristol was half standing, one hand upon the arm of the chair, the
other concealed, but grasping his revolver as I well knew. I, too,
had my revolver in my hand, and as I twisted in my seat, preparatory
to rising, in sheer nervousness I dropped the weapon upon the
carpet.

With an exclamation of dismay, I stooped quickly to recover it.

As I did so something whistled past my ear, so closely as almost to
touch it--and struck with a dull thud upon the wall beyond!

"Bristol!" I whispered.

But as I raised my eyes to him he seemed to crumple up, and fell
loosely forward into the patch of moonlight spread upon the floor!
"God in heaven!" I said aloud.

In a cold sweat of fear I crouched there, for it had become evident
to me that, as I bent, I was entirely in shadow.

There was a rustling in the bushes on the left; but before I could
turn in that direction, my attention was claimed elsewhere. Over
into the loggia leapt an almost naked brown figure!

It was that of a small but strongly built man, who carried a short,
exceedingly thick bamboo rod in his hand. My fear was too great to
adm