He laid Willem gently on the couch and covered him with the quilt.
"How do you feel, now?" he asked.
"I'm sleepy," answered Willem. "It's good to be in this room. I'll sleep finely here. Could—could I have a drink of water, please?"
The doctor crossed to the sideboard. The ice-water pitcher was empty. McPherson took up a glass.
"I'll find you some," said he. "I suppose I'll never learn my way around the labyrinths of this old house. But if I can't get to the nearest faucet, I'll wake Marta and ask her to help me. Lie still. I'll be back in a minute."
He picked up the lighted candle again, and started off on his quest. As he left the room he passed close by Peter Grimm.
"Good-night, Andrew," said the Dead Man. "I'm afraid the world will have to wait a little longer for the Big Guesser. The secret you've delved for so long and so loudly was in your own hands this evening. And you didn't know what to do with it."
The doctor left the room without hearing him. But Willem heard. Starting up on the couch, the boy cried:
"Oh, Mynheer Grimm! Where are you? I knew you were down here—That's why I wanted to come."
"Here I am," answered the Dead Man, moving forward into the range of the anxiously wandering blue eyes.