"Yes, Harry, by a miracle almost, is alive and unhurt," he said.
"Ah! I knew it, I knew it," said Mr. Francis below his breath.
Geoffrey paused a moment.
"You knew what?" he asked very deliberately.
"I knew he had been in great danger," said the other; "I had the strongest premonition of it. You remember seeing me this morning come back after I had started? I came back to warn Harry. Yet how absurd he would think it! I was deliberating about that when you saw me at the door, and wondering what I could say to him. Then I told myself it was a ridiculous fancy of mine, which would pass off. But all day it has clung to me; do what I would, I could not shake it off; and this evening I came down here to see if all was well. You spoke of Harry having been in great danger. Tell me what happened, my dear boy."
"He nearly shot himself in the gun room this morning," said Geoffrey. "He took up his gun, which was standing in a rack close to the window, and it went off, narrowly missing him!"
"But it missed him completely?" asked Mr. Francis. "He was not touched?"
"If he had been touched he would not be alive," said Geoffrey, lighting a cigarette, and looking at Mr. Francis very intently. "The velocity of shot at such very short range is considerable."
Mr. Francis made a very slight movement in his chair, more of a tremor than a voluntary motion.
"Terrible, terrible!" he said. "What awful fate is it that dogs poor Harry?"