"Do you mean you haven't arrested him—after what I told you? Then he was outside that door! I knew it!"
He caught her hands in a reassuring grasp.
"No, no, my dear, you mustn't be frightened. Don't you understand it's impossible to arrest the man—without a reason?"
She gave him a piercing look.
"But I told you! Didn't you hear what I said? He's a murderer! He murdered your father, and he was going to kill you too, if I hadn't found out and got here in time! Oh, aren't people stupid! I thought I'd made it all clear!"
She tore her hands from his hold and covered her face for an instant, crying, "Oh, oh! Why couldn't you have him arrested at once, both of them for that matter? I can't understand! Why didn't you?"
There was no evading the sharpness of her question. He dropped his eyes in embarrassment, unable to reply.
"Oh!" she burst out as though the truth had suddenly dawned on her, "now I know, I see it all! You thought I didn't know what I was saying. You thought I was raving. The doctor made you believe it. He would; he's always prepared for any emergency, even though he never dreamed I should get away!"
"Get away? What do you mean by that, Esther?"
Instead of replying, she lifted his right hand and examined it with feverish interest.