en from the stream of blood that ran slowly from Mrs.
Jasher's breast. Apparently she had been stabbed in the lungs, for the
wound was on the right side. There she lay, poor woman, in her tawdry
finery, crumpled up, battered and bruised, dead amongst the ruins of her
home. Jane immediately began to scream again.

"Stop her, Hope," cried Random, who was kneeling by the body and feeling
the heart. "Mrs. Jasher is not dead. Hold your noise, woman, and go
for a doctor." This was to Jane, who, prevented from screaming, took to
whimpering.

"I had better go," said Hope quickly; "and I'll go to the Fort and alarm
the men. Perhaps they may catch the man."

"Can you describe him?"

"Of course not," said Archie indignantly. "I only caught a glimpse of
him by the feeble light of a lucifer match. Then he leaped through the
window and I after him. I made a grab at him, but lost him in the mist.
I don't know in the least what he is like."

"Then how can anyone arrest him?" snapped Random, raising Mrs. Jasher's
head. "Give what alarm you like, but race for Robinson up the village.
We must save this poor woman's life, if only to learn who killed her."

"But she isn't dead yet--she isn't dead yet," wailed Jane, clapping her
hands, while Hope, knowing the value of time, promptly ran out of the
house to get further assistance.

"She soon will be," said Sir Frank, whose temper was not of the best at
so critical a moment in dealing with a fool. "Go and bring me brandy at
once, and afterwards linen and hot water. We must do our best to staunch
this wound and revive her."

For the next quarter of an hour the man and the woman labored hard to
save Mrs. Jasher's life. Random bound up the wound in a rough and ready
fashion, and Jane fed the pale lips of her mistress with sips of brandy.
Mrs. Jasher gradually became more alive, and a faint sigh escaped from
her lips, as her wounded bosom rose and fell with recovered breath. When
Sir Frank was in hopes that she would speak, she suddenly relapsed again
into a comatose state. Luckily at that moment Archie returned with young
Dr. Robinson at his heels, and also was followed by Painter, the village
constable, who had luckily been picked up in the fog.

Robinson whistled as he looked at the insensible woman.

"She's had a narrow squeak," he muttered, lifting the body with the
assistance of Random.

"Will she recover?" questioned Hope anxiously.

"I can't tell you yet," answered the doctor