The Jewel of Seven Stars

"We have discovered nothing. I was in the room watching with theNurse. Earlier in the evening I fancied that the mummy smells weremaking me drowsy, so I went out and got a respirator. I had it on whenI came on duty; but it did not keep me from going to sleep. I awoke tosee the room full of people; that is, Miss Trelawny and Sergeant Daw,being only half awake and still stupefied by the same scent orinfluence which had affected us, fancied that he saw something movingthrough the shadowy darkness of the room, and fired twice. When I roseout of my chair, with my face swathed in the respirator, he took me forthe cause of the trouble. Naturally enough, he was about to fireagain, when I was fortunately in time to manifest my identity. Mr.Trelawny was lying beside the safe, just as he was found last night;and was bleeding profusely from the new wound in his wrist. We liftedhim on the sofa, and made a tourniquet. That is, literally andabsolutely, all that any of us know as yet. We have not touched theknife, which you see lies close by the pool of blood. Look!" I said,going over and lifting it. "The point is red with the blood which hasdried."

Doctor Winchester stood quite still a few minutes before speaking:

"Then the doings of this night are quite as mysterious as those of lastnight?"

"Quite!" I answered. He said nothing in reply,

but turning to MissTrelawny said:

"We had better take Nurse Kennedy into another room. I suppose thereis nothing to prevent it?"

"Nothing! Please, Mrs. Grant, see that Nurse Kennedy's room is ready;and ask two of the men to come and carry her in." Mrs. Grant went outimmediately; and in a few minutes came back saying:

"The room is quite ready; and the men are here." By her direction twofootmen came into the room and, lifting up the rigid body of NurseKennedy under the supervision of the Doctor, carried her out of theroom. Miss Trelawny remained with me in the sick chamber, and Mrs.Grant went with the Doctor into the Nurse's room.

When we were alone Miss Trelawny came over to me, and taking both myhands in hers, said:

"I hope you won't remember what I said. I did not mean it, and I wasdistraught." I did not make reply; but I held her hands and kissedthem. There are different ways of kissing a lady's hands. This waywas intended as homage and respect; and it was accepted as such in thehigh-bred, dignified way which marked Miss Trelawny's bearing and everymovement. I went over to the sofa and looked down at the senselessman. The dawn had come much nearer in the last few minutes, and therewas something of the clearness of day in the light. As I looked at thestern, cold, set face, now as white as a marble monument in the palegrey light, I could not but feel that there was some deep mysterybeyond all that had happened within the last twenty-six hours. Thosebeetling brows screened some massive purpose; that high, broad foreheadheld some finished train of reasoning, which the broad chin and massivejaw would help to carry into effect. As I looked and wondered, therebegan to steal over me again that phase of wandering thought which hadlast night heralded the approach of sleep. I resisted it, and heldmyself sternly to the present. This was easier to do when MissTrelawny came close to me, and, leaning her forehead against myshoulder, began to cry silently. Then all the manhood in me woke, andto present purpose. It was of little use trying to speak; words wereinadequate to thought. But we understood each other; she did not drawaway when I put arm protectingly over her shoulder as I used to do withmy little sister long ago when in her childish trouble she would cometo her big brother to be comforted. That very act or attitude ofprotection made me more resolute in my purpose, and seemed to clear mybrain of idle, dreamy wandering in thought. With an instinct ofgreater protection, however, I took away my arm as I heard the Doctor'sfootstep outside the door.

When Doctor Winchester came in he looked intently at the patient beforespeaking. His brows were set, and his mouth was a thin, hard line.Presently he said:

"There is much in common between the sleep of your Father and NurseKennedy. Whatever influence has brought it about has probably workedthe same way in both cases. In Kennedy's case the coma is less marked.I cannot but feel, however, that with her we may be able to do more andmore quickly than with this patient, as our hands are not tied. I haveplaced her in a draught; and already she shows some signs, though veryfaint ones, of ordinary unconsciousness. The rigidity of her limbs isless, and her skin seems more sensitive--or perhaps I should say lessinsensitive--to pain."

"How is it, then," I asked, "that Mr. Trelawny is still in this stateof insensibility; and yet, so far as we know, his body has not had suchrigidity at all?"

"That I cannot answer. The problem is one which we may solve in a fewhours; or it may need a few days. But it will be a useful lesson indiagnosis to us all; and perhaps to many and many others after us, whoknows!" he added, with the genuine fire of an enthusiast.

As the morning wore on, he flitted perpetually between the two rooms,watching anxiously over both patients. He made Mrs. Grant remain withthe Nurse, but either Miss Trelawny or I, generally both of us,remained with the wounded man. We each managed, however, to get bathedand dressed; the Doctor and Mrs. Grant remained with Mr. Trelawnywhilst we had breakfast.

Sergeant Daw went off to report at Scotland Yard the progress of thenight; and then to the local station to arrange for the coming of hiscomrade, Wright, as fixed with Superintendent Dolan. When he returnedI could not but think that he had been hauled over the coals forshooting in a sick-room; or perhaps for shooting at all without certainand proper cause. His remark to me enlightened me in the matter:

"A good character is worth something, sir, in spite of what some ofthem say. See! I've still got leave to carry my revolver."

That day was a long and anxious one. Toward nightfall Nurse Kennedy sofar improved that the rigidity of her limbs entirely disappeared. Shestill breathed quietly and regularly; but the fixed expression of herface, though it was a calm enough expression, gave place to falleneyelids and the negative look of sleep. Doctor Winchester had, towardsevening, brought two more nurses, one of whom was to remain with NurseKennedy and the other to share in the watching with Miss Trelawny, whohad insisted on remaining up herself. She had, in order to prepare forthe duty, slept for several hours in the afternoon. We had all takencounsel together, and had arranged thus for the watching in Mr.Trelawny's room. Mrs. Grant was to remain beside the patient tilltwelve, when Miss Trelawny would relieve her. The new nurse was to sitin Miss Trelawny's room, and to visit the sick chamber each quarter ofan hour. The Doctor would remain till twelve; when I was to relievehim. One or other of the detectives was to remain within hail of theroom all night; and to pay periodical visits to see that all was well.Thus, the watchers would be watched; and the possibility of such eventsas last night, when the watchers were both overcome, would be avoided.

When the sun set, a strange and grave anxiety fell on all of us; and inour separate ways we prepared for the vigil. Doctor Winchester hadevidently been thinking of my respirator, for he told me he would goout and get one. Indeed, he took to the idea so kindly that Ipersuaded Miss Trelawny also to have one which she could put on whenher time for watching came.

And so the night drew on.

Chapter V

More Strange Instructions

When I came from my room at half-past eleven o'clock I found all wellin the sick-room. The new nurse, prim, neat, and watchful, sat in thechair by the bedside where Nurse Kennedy had sat last night. A littleway off, between the bed and the safe, sat Dr. Winchester alert andwakeful, but looking strange and almost comic with the respirator overmouth and nose. As I stood in the doorway looking at them I heard aslight sound; turning round I saw the new detective, who nodded, heldup the finger of silence and withdrew quietly. Hitherto no one of thewatchers was overcome by sleep.

I took a chair outside the door. As yet there was no need for me torisk coming again under the subtle influence of last night. Naturallymy thoughts went revolving round the main incidents of the last day andnight, and I found myself arriving at strange conclusions, doubts,conjectures; but I did not lose myself, as on last night, in trains ofthought. The sense of the present was ever with me, and I really feltas should a sentry on guard. Thinking is not a slow process; and whenit is earnest the time can pass quickly. It seemed a very short timeindeed till the door, usually left ajar, was pulled open and Dr.Winchester emerged, taking off his respirator as he came. His act,when he had it off, was demonstrative of his keenness. He turned upthe outside of the wrap and smelled it carefully.

"I am going now," he said. "I shall come early in the morning; unless,of course, I am sent for before. But all seems well tonight."

The next to appear was Sergeant Daw, who went quietly into the room andtook the seat vacated by the Doctor. I still remained outside; butevery few minutes looked into the room. This was rather a form than amatter of utility, for the room was so dark that coming even from thedimly-lighted corridor it was hard to distinguish anything.

A little before twelve o'clock Miss Trelawny came from her room.Before coming to her father's she went into that occupied by NurseKennedy. After a couple of minutes she came out, looking, I thought, atrifle more cheerful. She had her respirator in her hand, but beforeputting it on, asked me if anything special had occurred since she hadgone to lie down. I answered in a whisper--there was no loud talkingin the house tonight--that all was safe, was well. She then put on herrespirator, and I mine; and we entered the room. The Detective and theNurse rose up, and we took their places. Sergeant Daw was the last togo out; he closed the door behind him as we had arranged.

For a while I sat quiet, my heart beating. The place was grimly dark.The only light was a faint one from the top of the lamp which threw awhite circle on the high ceiling, except the emerald sheen of the shadeas the light took its under edges. Even the light only seemed toemphasize the blackness of the shadows. These presently began to seem,as on last night, to have a sentience of their own. I did not myselffeel in the least sleepy; and each time I went softly over to look atthe patient, which I did about every ten minutes, I could see that MissTrelawny was keenly alert. Every quarter of an hour one or other ofthe policemen looked in through the partly opened door. Each time bothMiss Trelawny and I said through our mufflers, "all right," and thedoor was closed again.

As the time wore on, the silence and the darkness seemed to increase.The circle of light on the ceiling was still there, but it seemed lessbrilliant than at first. The green edging of the lamp-shade becamelike Maori greenstone rather than emerald. The sounds of the nightwithout the house, and the starlight spreading pale lines along theedges of the window-cases, made the pall of black within more solemnand more mysterious.

We heard the clock in the corridor chiming the quarters with its silverbell till two o'clock; and then a strange feeling came over me. Icould see from Miss Trelawny's movement as she looked round, that shealso had some new sensation. The new detective had just looked in; wetwo were alone with the unconscious patient for another quarter of anhour.