Cursed by a Fortune Part 77

"Oh, doctor! doctor!" cried the woman wildly, from behind the couch.

"Quick, quick! Look! Oh, my poor, poor child!"

Leigh sprang back to the couch and fell upon his knees, for a violent twitching had convulsed the girl's motionless form.

Garstang, his face wild with fear, stood gazing down over the doctor's shoulder, and then strode quickly to the back of the library, bent over a table, and took something from a drawer, before striding back, to stand looking on, trembling violently now, as he witnessed the strange convulsions, which gradually died out, and a low gasping sound escaped the sufferer's lips.

Garstang drew a long, deep breath, turned quickly, and made for the door; but as he reached it Leigh's hand was upon his collar, and he was swung violently round and back into the room.

He nearly fell, but recovered himself, and stood with his hand in his breast.

"Stand away from that door," he cried.

"To let you escape?" said Leigh, firmly. "No; whether that convulsion means death or life to your victim, sir, you are my prisoner till the police are here. You--woman, go to the door, and send for or fetch the police."

The housekeeper started forward, but with one heavy swing of the arm Garstang sent her staggering back, and then approached Leigh slowly, with a half-crouching movement, like some beast about to spring.

"Stand away from that door, and let me pa.s.s," he said, huskily.

"Go back and sit down in that chair," said Leigh sternly; and he now stepped slowly and watchfully toward him.

"Stand away from that door," said Garstang again.

"Hah!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Leigh, as he caught a glimpse of something in the man's hand; and he sprang at him to dash it aside, when there was a flash, a loud report, and as a puff of smoke was driven in his face, Leigh spun round suddenly, and fell half across the farther table with a heavy thud.

At the same moment, Garstang thrust a pistol into his breast, darted to and flung open the door, to run right into the hall, where he was seized by a man, and a tremendous struggle ensued, Garstang striving fiercely to escape, his adversary to force him back toward the staircase; chairs were driven here and there, one of the marble statues fell with a crash, and twice over Garstang nearly shook his opponent off.

But he was wrestling with a younger man, who was tough, wiry, and in good training, while, in spite of the desperate strength given for the moment by fear, Garstang was portly, and his breath came and went in gasps.

"Here, you girl, open the door; call help--can't hold him!" came in gasps.

A low wailing sound was the only response, and poor Becky, who was by the front door, with her face tied up, covered it entirely with her hands, and seemed ready to faint.

The struggle went on here and there, and once more there was the gleam of a pistol and a voice rang out:

"Ah! coward, fight fair."

As utterance was given to these words the speaker made a desperate spring to try and catch the pistol, his weight driving Garstang back, whose heels caught against a heavy fragment of the broken piece of statuary, and its owner went down with the back of his head striking violently against another piece of the marble.

The next moment, fainting and exhausted, his adversary was seated on the fallen man's chest, wresting the pistol from his grasp.

"Thought he'd done me. Here, you're a pretty sort of a one, you are!

Why didn't you call the police?"

"Oh, I dursen't! I dursen't!" sobbed Becky.

"You dursen't, you dursen't!" grumbled the speaker. "Hi! help, somebody! Hi, Kate! are you in there? What, Doctor! Then you've got here, after all. I did go to your house."

For Pierce Leigh suddenly appeared at the library door, where he stood, supporting himself by the side.

CHAPTER FORTY SEVEN.

"I say, he didn't shoot you, did he?"

"Yes--through the arm," said Leigh faintly. "Better directly. Can you keep him down, Wilton?"

"Oh yes, I'll keep the beggar down," said Claud, c.o.c.king the pistol.

"Do you hear, you sir? You move a hand and as sure as I've got you here, I'll fire. Send for a doctor someone."

"No, no," cried Leigh, a little more firmly; "not yet;" and he drew a handkerchief from his pocket and folded it with one hand. "Tie this tightly round my arm."

"You take the pistol then--that's it--and let the brute have it if he stirs. I won't get off him. Kneel down."

Leigh obeyed after taking the pistol, and Claud bound the handkerchief tightly round his arm.

"Hurt you?"

"Yes; but the sickness is going off. Tighter: it will stop the bleeding."

"All right; but I say, we had better have in a doctor," said Claud excitedly.

"Not yet. We don't want an expose," said Leigh anxiously.

"Shall I go for one, sir?" said the housekeeper.

"No. How is she now?" said Leigh anxiously.

"Just the same, sir," said the woman, stifling her sobs.

"I'll come in a moment or two. Go back; there is nothing to fear now."

A burst of hysterical sobbing came from the front door, where Becky was crouching down, with her face buried in her hands.

"Take her with you," said Leigh hastily; and he stood before Garstang while Becky walked into the library, s.h.i.+vering with dread.

"Here, you hold up, what's your name," cried Claud. "You behaved like a trump. It's all right; he can't hurt you now."

"No," said Leigh, in a harsh whisper, as the two women pa.s.sed in and the door swung to; "nor anyone else. Look."

"Eh?" said Claud wonderingly. "What at?"

"Don't you see?" said Leigh, bending down and turning Garstang's head a little on one side.

"Ugh!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Claud. "Blood! I didn't mean that. Why, he must have hit his head on that bit of marble."

"Yes," answered Leigh, after a brief examination, "the skull is fractured. We must get him away from here."

"Not dangerous, is it, doctor?" said Claud, aghast.