His breathing is strong and regular, and his pulse is
slower and stronger than it was this morning. I cannot find evidence
of any known drug, and his unconsciousness does not resemble any of the
many cases of hypnotic sleep which I saw in the Charcot Hospital in
Paris. And as to these wounds"--he laid his finger gently on the
bandaged wrist which lay outside the coverlet as he spoke, "I do not
know what to make of them. They might have been made by a
carding-machine; but that supposition is untenable. It is within the
bounds of possibility that they might have been made by a wild animal
if it had taken care to sharpen its claws. That too is, I take it,
impossible. By the way, have you any strange pets here in the house;
anything of an exceptional kind, such as a tiger-cat or anything out of
the common?" Miss Trelawny smiled a sad smile which made my heart ache,
as she made answer:

"Oh no! Father does not like animals about the house, unless they are
dead and mummied." This was said with a touch of bitterness--or
jealousy, I could hardly tell which. "Even my poor kitten was only
allowed in the house on sufferance; and though he is the dearest and
best-conducted cat in the world, he is now on a sort of parole, and is
not allowed into this room."

As she was speaking a faint rattling of the door handle was heard.
Instantly Miss Trelawny's face brightened. She sprang up and went over
to the door, saying as she went:

"There he is! That is my Silvio. He stands on his hind legs and
rattles the door handle when he wants to come into a room." She opened
the door, speaking to the cat as though he were a baby: "Did him want
his movver? Come then; but he must stay with her!" She lifted the
cat, and came back with him in her arms. He was certainly a
magnificent animal. A chinchilla grey Persian with long silky hair; a
really lordly animal with a haughty bearing despite his gentleness; and
with great paws which spread out as he placed them on the ground.
Whilst she was fondling him, he suddenly gave a wriggle like an eel and
slipped out of her arms. He ran across the room and stood opposite a
low table on which stood the mummy of an animal, and began to mew and
snarl. Miss Trelawny was after him in an instant and lifted him in her
arms, kicking and struggling and wriggling to get away; but not biting
or scratching, for evidently he loved his beautiful mistress. He
ceased to make a noise the moment he was in