fanned me
with its wings! I cannot describe it, but it was numbing; I think I
must have felt as those poor travellers do who succumb to the
temptation to sleep in the snow."

Cairn surveyed her anxiously, for in its essentials this might be a
symptom of a dreadful ailment.

"I aroused myself, however," she continued, "but experienced an
unaccountable dread of entering my uncle's room. I could hear him
muttering strangely, and--I forced myself to enter! I saw--oh, how
can I tell you! You will think me mad!"

She raised her hands to her face; she was trembling. Robert Cairn took
them in his own, forcing her to look up.

"Tell me," he said quietly.

"The curtains were drawn back; I distinctly remembered having closed
them, but they were drawn back; and the moonlight was shining on to
the bed."

"Bad; he was dreaming."

"But was _I_ dreaming? Mr. Cairn, two hands were stretched out over my
uncle, two hands that swayed slowly up and down in the moonlight!"

Cairn leapt to his feet, passing his hand over his forehead.

"Go on," he said.

"I--I cried out, but not loudly--I think I was very near to swooning.
The hands were withdrawn into the shadow, and my uncle awoke and sat
up. He asked, in a low voice, if I were there, and I ran to him."

"Yes."

"He ordered me, very coldly, to 'phone for his solicitor at nine
o'clock this morning, and then fell back, and was asleep again almost
immediately. The solicitor came, and was with him for nearly an hour.
He sent for one of his clerks, and they both went away at half-past
ten. Uncle has been in a sort of dazed condition ever since; in fact
he has only once aroused himself, to ask for Dr. Cairn. I had a
telegram sent immediately."

"The governor will be here to-night," said Cairn confidently. "Tell
me, the hands which you thought you saw: was there anything peculiar
about them?"

"In the moonlight they seemed to be of a dull white colour. There was
a ring on one finger--a green ring. Oh!" she shuddered. "I can see it
now."

"You would know it again?"

"Anywhere!"

"Actually, there was no one in the room, of course?"

"No one. It was some awful illusion; but I can never forget it."

CHAPTER III

THE RING OF THOTH

Half-Moon Street was very still; midnight had sounded nearly
half-an-hour; but still Robert Cairn paced up and down his father's
library. He was very pale, and many times he glanced at a book which
lay open upon the table. Finally he pa