t she has gone without
food for some time. Her vitality is very low, very low
indeed--although I cannot say there appears to be anything organically
wrong with her heart."

Again Roger visualised the dreadful picture of the girl wandering, out
of her head, through the streets. It fitted in so aptly with this
suggestion of her being without food and in an exhausted state. It was
with an effort that he thrust aside the morbid idea to speak to
Chalmers.

"Miss Rowe's room is ready for her, sir," the butler replied quietly.
"I took the liberty of having it done, sir, thinking you'd want to put
her to bed. Shall I lend a hand to carry her in, sir?"

It was an easy matter to transfer Esther from the couch to her former
quarters. Roger remained in the hall within reach of the boudoir, and
spoke once more to Dr. Bousquet before returning to resume his
self-constituted guard of Sartorius.

"I think I ought to tell you, doctor, that before she became
unconscious she made a very startling statement. We cannot tell
whether there is any truth in what she said or not--but I may say that
a great deal depends on the establishment of her sanity. I suppose you
have no way of telling----?"

A pleasantly contemptuous smile hovered in the red-brown eyes behind
the thick glasses.

"Monsieur, persons who form the morphia habit become, as you are aware,
notoriously untruthful. They invent extraordinary stories, make
incredible--and often convincing--accusations. I do not of course know
anything about this young woman, but----" And he left the sentence
unfinished.

It was a diplomatic way of damning in advance any evidence Esther might
give. The man, on his own statement, knew nothing, had no prejudice
for or against. He was merely voicing a medical fact.

With a mind torn by fresh doubts Roger walked slowly back into the
boudoir. He could not help beginning to be afraid that he was acting
foolishly. The high-handed manner in which he had dealt with his
stepmother and Sartorius might yet land him in most unpleasant
difficulties. Obviously he had no right to restrain their movements,
and the fact that he had actually threatened Sartorius was sufficient
to bring down punishment upon him. Still, he knew in his heart that if
he had the thing to do over again he would behave in much the same way.
Certainly he felt sure that whether they were malefactors or completely
innocent, both Therese and the doctor had acted in a man