ords.

She made a superhuman effort.

"Come in," she said again, and this time to her relief she heard the
words distinctly.

The duke entered and held the door half closed.

"I feared to disturb you, my child," he said, "but it is unavoidable
that I disturb you. It is a relief to find that you are not yet in bed
and asleep. A very grave, a very sad event has happened which
necessitates the presence of the police commissioner. Calm yourself, my
Francesca, and my good friend the _delegato_ will explain."

The official in the sash came in. Lord John stood in the doorway.

"Duchess," said the official, "I grieve to say that one of your guests
of this evening, the Marchese di Maltagliala, has been assassinated in
the garden, or possibly in the road, and his dead body was dragged into
the garden afterwards. He was found just inside the east garden door,
which by some mischance had been left unlocked."

A deathlike silence followed the _delegato's_ words.

[Illustration: "A DEATHLIKE SILENCE FOLLOWED THE DELEGATO'S WORDS"]

Fay turned her bloodless face towards him, and her eyes never left
him. She felt Michael listening behind the screen.

"There was hardly an instant," continued the official, with a touch of
professional pride, "before the alarm was given. By a fortunate chance I
myself happened to be near. The garden was instantly surrounded. It is
being searched now. It seems hardly possible that the assassin can have
escaped. I entreat your pardon for intruding this painful subject on the
sensitive mind of a lady, and breaking in on your privacy."

"I should think he has escaped by now," said Fay hoarsely.

"It is possible, but improbable," said the official. Then he turned to
the duke. "This is, I understand from you, the only way into the house
from the garden?"

"The only way that might possibly still be open," said the duke. "The
doors on the ground floor are both locked, as we have seen."

"We greatly feared," continued the duke, turning to his wife, "that the
murderer if he were still in the garden, finding it was being searched,
might terrify you by rushing in here."

"No one has been in here," said Fay automatically.

"Have you been in this room ever since you left the saloon?" said her
husband.

"Yes. I have been reading here ever since."

"Then it is impossible that anyone should have escaped into the house
through this room," said the duke. "The duchess must have seen him. It
is no longer