"Who Walked, but Left no Footprint"
He stood a little to one side, loosing down at her, so that the gray light should fall on her face. Curiously enough, in the first utter blankness of the shock, he did not think of ghosts or even of a hallucination whereby he saw Marcia's face everywhere. He only thought, with a dazed feeling of relief, that the whole farce of a murder was a monstrous joke after all, a hoodwinking and a premeditated nightmare; and he wanted to laugh.
Then he saw that it was not Marcia, which was even a worse shock. In the next moment he wondered that he had seen any resemblance at all in these white features crossed by the shadow of the lattice. This girl was smaller and slighter; her dark hair was caught back carelessly behind her ears; and she wore a careless gray jumper and black skirt. Yet for one instant an outline of her cheek, a trick of gesture, a heavy liddedness of the dark eyes — it had been there.
But he forgot that in the knowledge that she was hurt. He heard her voice, which was not Marcia Tait's.
"Jo-" she said, and swallowed hard. She was looking up eagerly. "John? You haven't been to see- No what am I saying? About Louise. It's all right; really it is. It was the shock. I've quieted her. She didn't know me. She was hysterical, after last night. She tried to. " Speaking hurt her. The hands went to her throat again; she fought down nausea, and tried to smile. "But I wish you'd get Dr. Wynne to come up and-"
A pause.
"You're not my uncle! Who are you?"
"Steady," Bennett urged, and felt somehow guilty. "It's all right. Word of honor, it's all right! I'm a friend of your uncle. My name's Bennett. Look here, you're hurt. Let me..’
"No. I'm all right. It's Louise. Oh! Bennett! Yes, I know who you are. Louise spoke about you. You're the man who took her father round New York. What are you doing?" She moved swiftly in front of the door. "I say, you mustn't go in there! Really you mustn't. She's got her nightgown on."
"Well, what of it?" said Bennett, so startled that he pulled short. "Anybody who goes berserk and tries to strangle.. that's what she did, wasn't it?"