She opened her lips and closed them again, struggled to speak and failed. She sat there, breathing quickly, but silent. The power of speech had gone.
CHAPTER XXXII
Hamel, for the next few minutes, forgot everything else in his efforts to restore to consciousness his unexpected visitor. He rebuilt the fire, heated some water upon his spirit lamp, and forced some hot drink between the lips of the woman who was now almost in a state of collapse. Then he wrapped her round in his own ulster and drew her closer to the fire. He tried during those few moments to put away the memory of all that she had told him. Gradually she began to recover. She opened her eyes and drew a little sigh. She made no effort at speech, however. She simply lay and looked at him like some wounded animal. He came over to her side and chafed one of her cold hands.
“Come,” he said at last, “you begin to look more like yourself now. You are quite safe in here, and, for Esther’s sake as well as your own, you know that I am your friend.”
She nodded, and her fingers gently pressed his.
“I am sure of it,” she murmured.
“Now let us see where we are,” he continued. “Tell me exactly why you risked so much by leaving St. David’s Hall to-night and coming down here. Isn’t there any chance that he might find out?”
“I don’t know,” she answered. “It was Lucy Price who sent me. She came to my room just as I was undressing.”
“Lucy Price,” he repeated. “The secretary?”