their places, the
bow of the violinist lay idle upon the strings of his instrument. The
waiters were all standing about like graven images. Then, as the prince
fell, there was a shout, and all was pandemonium. They rushed to where
he was lying motionless, a ghastly sight, across the wreck of his
flower-strewn supper-table.

Sophy held John by the arm, clutching it hysterically, striving to drag
him away. But to John the room was empty. He stood there, a giant,
motionless figure, his muscles still taut, his face tense, his eyes
aflame, glaring down at the prostrate figure of the man on whom he had
wreaked the accumulated fury of those last days and weeks of madness.

XXXVI

Toward nine o'clock on the following morning John rose from a fitful
sleep and looked around him. Even before he could recall the events of
the preceding night he felt that there was a weight pressing upon his
brain, a miserable sense of emptiness in life, a dull feeling of
bewilderment. Although he had no clear recollection of getting there, he
realized that he was in his own sitting room, and that he had been
asleep upon the couch. He saw, too, that it was morning, for a ray of
sunlight lay across the carpet.

As he struggled to his feet, he saw with a little shock that he was not
alone. Sophy Gerard was curled up in his easy chair, still in evening
clothes, her cloak drawn closely around her, as if she were cold. Her
head had fallen back. She, too, was asleep. At the sound of his
movement, however, she opened her eyes and looked at him for a moment
with a puzzled stare. Then she jumped to her feet.

"Why, we have both been asleep!" she murmured, a little weakly.

At the sound of her voice it all came back to him, a tangled, hideous
nightmare. He sat down again upon the couch and held his head between
his hands.

"How did I come here?" he asked. "I can't remember!"

She hesitated. He answered the unspoken question in her eyes.

"I remember everything that happened at the club," he went on slowly.
"Is the prince dead?"

She shook her head.

"Of course not! He was hurt, though, and there was a terrible scene of
confusion in the room. The people crowded around him, and I managed,
somehow, to drag you away. The manager helped us. To tell the truth, he
was only too anxious for you to get away before the police arrived. He
was so afraid of anything getting into the papers. I drove you back
here, and,