me.

"This is serious, truly," murmured the older physician. "We had better
remove her to a side room and loosen up her garments."

Many were willing to assist, but Raymond shook them off and he and
Doctor Bird carried Margaret into the room where the jury had arrived
at the verdict which had so stunned her. Then a nurse who happened to
be in the court-room was called in, and she and the physician began to
work over the suffering girl.

"Doctor--" Raymond could scarcely speak. "She will--will come
around all right?"

"Why, I guess so. She has swooned, that is all. The trial was too
much for her. And then there was such a crowd, and the ventilation
being poor--"

The young man waited, five, ten, fifteen minutes--it was as an
eternity. The doctor still continued to work, and so did the nurse.
Then the latter whispered something and Raymond caught the words, "a
mental shock, by her eyes."

"What's that?" he questioned. He looked at Margaret and saw that her
eyes were wide open and she was staring hard at him. "Margaret!"

She did not answer, but continued to stare, turning from him to the
nurse and then to the old doctor. The chief of police was at the
doorway and she gave him a look that fairly froze his blood.

"Who--" she began and stopped short. "How light it is! What struck
me? Why are you all staring at me in this manner? What have I done?
Where am I? Have I been sick?"

"Margaret!" Raymond came closer and took her hand. "Margaret!"

She stared at him and flung his hand away. "I've had a horrible
dream--I dreamed papa was murdered--that somebody had strangled him!
Strangled him to get my engagement ring from me! And there was blood
there, blood, and nobody could come to the lawn party. Oh, if they
knew--and my poor head--it swims so! And the bottle--the
handkerchief--"

"Margaret, Margaret! Don't go on so!" He caught her hand again and
sank down on his knees beside her. "Be calm. It will all come out
right. You fainted, that's all. Don't you remember, Margaret?"

"Yes, yes, I remember. You said you would marry me, and then you said,
you," she tore her hand away and pointed her finger at him, "you said I
had murdered papa and murdered her! Oh, the shame of it, the shame!"
And then she gave a shriek and began to rave, tearing at her clothes
and her hair, until the latter fell all over her face. The paroxysm
lasted for several minutes and then she fainted once more.

"I sh