When I stepped out into the trunk-room, a free
woman again, I could hear the chase far below.
I must say, for all Alex's anxiety to set me free, he paid little
enough attention to my plight. He jumped through the opening
into the secret room, and picked up the portable safe.
"I am going to put this in Mr. Halsey's room, Miss Innes,"
he said, "and I shall send one of the detectives to guard it."
I hardly heard him. I wanted to laugh and cry in the same
breath--to crawl into bed and have a cup of tea, and scold Liddy,
and do any of the thousand natural things that I had never
expected to do again. And the air! The touch of the cool night
air on my face!
As Alex and I reached the second floor, Mr. Jamieson met us. He
was grave and quiet, and he nodded comprehendingly when he saw
the safe.
"Will you come with me for a moment, Miss Innes?" he asked
soberly, and on my assenting, he led the way to the east wing.
There were lights moving around below, and some of the maids were
standing gaping down. They screamed when they saw me, and drew
back to let me pass. There was a sort of hush over the scene;
Alex, behind me, muttered something I could not hear, and brushed
past me without ceremony. Then I realized that a man was lying
doubled up at the foot of the staircase, and that Alex was
stooping over him.
As I came slowly down, Winters stepped back, and Alex
straightened himself, looking at me across the body with
impenetrable eyes.
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