, in which his eyes were burning like a madman's, full on Paul as
he dashed on him.

Then without a sound he leapt aside, and vaulting on to the sill of
the open window, jumped out.

Instinctively Paul knew what was coming, and catching Natalie to him,
held her head against his breast, stopping her ears with his hands.
Then as he stood there with his eyes bent on her hair, he heard the
sickening sound of Boris's body thud on to the stones below.

Releasing Natalie's ears, he put his hand under her chin and lifted up
her face. He marvelled that she had not fainted, but the dreadful
horror in her eyes struck into his heart like a blow.

He had to hold her to prevent her falling to the floor, and so he
stood for some few seconds with her form limp and shivering in his
arms.

Bracing himself for one last effort, Paul lifted her up and bore her
out of the room. Half-dazed, he stumbled down the stairs with her
until he reached the hall.

In the doorway he saw Peter, who came running forward with
outstretched arms.

"Just a minute," said Paul quickly, and he walked into the room, the
door of which he had shattered.

In the meantime Andrieff and the lad had picked up Madame Estelle and
carried her into the same room, and now she lay on the couch, her
face growing grey with the shadows of death, and her breath coming
fast and feebly. Her eyes stared up at the ceiling with an intense and
horrible fixity.

Paul pushed an armchair round with his foot and set his lady down on
it so that her back was turned to the dying woman.

Peter fell on his knees beside the chair, and seizing his sister's
hands, held them against his breast.

Paul crossed over to Madame Estelle and stood over her. He put his
hand against her heart and listened to her breathing.

"I am afraid," he said in a low voice to Andrieff, "that we can do
nothing for her. It is a bad business. Heaven forgive her for anything
she has done amiss! She did her best to make amends."

Then he drew Alexis out of the room and told him to fetch a lamp.

When he had fetched the lamp Paul took it and began rapidly to examine
round the ground floor of the rambling building. He was seeking for
the court-yard into which Boris had fallen.

At last they found it, and found, too, all that remained of Boris
Ivanovitch. He was battered and crushed and bruised almost beyond
recognition.

Paul set his face and straightened the twisted and distorted body out.

Then he str