The Argosy — page 295: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

272 The Story of Charles Strange. voice rose almost to a scream, and he flung his uninjured arm about the bed. Mr. Ravensworth, in self-reproach for what he had done, looked for the bell and rang it. ‘‘ Drewitt, are the doors fastened ?” raved his lordship in delirium, as the steward hastened in. ‘ Do you hear me, Drewitt? Have you looked to the doors? You must have left one of them open! Where are the keys? The keys, I say, Drewitt !——- What brings that man here? ” ‘You had better go down, sir, out of his sight,” whispered the steward, for it was at Mr. Ravensworth the invalid was excitedly pointing. ‘‘I knew what it would be if he began talking. And he was so much better!” ‘His lordship excites himself for nothing,” was the deprecating answer. ‘Why, of course,” said Mr, Drewitt. ‘It is the nature of fever- patients to do so.” Mrs. Edwards came in with appliances to cool the heated head, and Mr. Ravensworth returned to the sitting-room below. Blanche was not there. Close upon that, Dr. Macferraty called. After he had been with his patient and dressed the wounds, he came bustling into the sitting-room. ‘This loud young man had a nose that turned straight up, giving an impudent look to the face, and wide-open, round green eyes. But, no doubt, he had his good points, and was a skilful surgeon. ‘You are a friend of the family, I hear, sir,” he began. ‘‘I hope you intend to order an investigation into this extraordinary affair ?” ‘‘T have no authority for doing so. And Lord Level does not wish it done.” ‘A fig for Lord Level! He does not know what he’s saying,” cried Dr. Macferraty. ‘* There never was so monstrous a thing heard of, as that a nobleman should be stabbed in his own bed, and the assassin be let off, scot-free! We need not look far for the culprit!” The last words, significantly spoken, jarred on Mr. Ravensworth’s ears. ‘* Have you a suspicion?” he asked. “IT can put two and two together, sir, and find they make four. The windows were fast ; the doors were fast; there was no noise, no disturbance, no robbery: well, then, what deduction have we to fal} back upon but that the villain, he or she, is an inmate of the house ?” Mr. Ravensworth’s pulses beat a shade more quickly. “ Do you suspect one of the servants ? ” ‘Ves, I do.” ‘‘But the servants are faithful and respectable. They are not sus- pected indoors, I assure you.” ‘Perhaps not; they are out-of-doors, though. The whole neigh- bourhood is in commotion over it; and how Drewitt and the old lady can let these two London servants be at large is the talk of the place.” CORNICLIOOKS. On