them
here."

The blind man heard no answer from Avery. Those having Overton in
charge seemed to be coming into the house; the door opened and there
were confused sounds. Santoine stood separating the voices.

"What is it?" he asked the servant.

"Mr. Eaton--Mr. Overton, sir--fainted as they were taking him out of
the motor-car, sir. He seems much done up, sir."

Santoine recognized that four or five men, holding or carrying their
prisoner between them, had come in and halted in surprise at sight of
him.

"We have him!" he heard one of them cry importantly to him. "We have
him, sir! and he's Hugh Overton, who killed Latron!"

Then Santoine heard his daughter's voice in a half cry, half sob of
hopeless appeal to him; Harriet ran to him; he felt her cold, trembling
fingers clasping him and beseeching him. "Father! Father! They
say--they say--they will--"

He put his hands over hers, clasping hers and patting it, "My dear," he
said, "I thought you would wait for me; I told you to wait."

He heard others coming into the house now; and he held his daughter
beside him as he faced them.

"Who is in charge here?" he demanded.

The voice of one of those who had just come in answered him. "I,
sir--I am the chief of police."

"I wish to speak to you; I will not keep you long. May I ask you to
have your prisoner taken to the room he occupied here in my house and
given attention by a doctor? You can have my word that it is not
necessary to guard him. Wait! Wait!" he directed, as he heard
exclamations and ejaculations to correct him. "I do not mean that you
have mistaken who he is. He is Hugh Overton, I know; it is because he
is Hugh Overton that I say what I do."

Santoine abandoned effort to separate and comprehend or to try to
answer the confusion of charge and questioning around him. He
concerned himself, at the moment, only with his daughter; he drew her
to him, held her and said gently, "There, dear; there! Everything is
right. I have not been able to explain to you, and I cannot take time
now; but you, at least, will take my word that you have nothing to fear
for him--nothing!"

He heard her gasp with incredulity and surprise; then, as she drew back
from him, staring at him, she breathed deep with relief and clasped
him, sobbing. He still held her, as the hall was cleared and the
footsteps of those carrying Overton went up the stairs; then, knowing
that she wished to follow them, he released