The girl was about to speak, when there came a dramatic interruption.
There was a “whang!” a splintering of glass and something thudded against the wall. Lady Maxell stood up as white as death.
“What was that?” she gasped.
The girl was pale, but she did not lose her nerve.
“Somebody fired a shot. Look!”
She pulled aside the curtain. “The bullet went through the window.”
“Keep away from the window, you fool!” screamed the woman. “Turn out the light! Ring the bell!”
Mary moved across the room and turned the switch. They waited in silence, but no other shot was fired. Perhaps it was an accident. Somebody had been firing at a target. . . .
“Go and tell my husband!” said Sadie. “Quickly!”
The girl passed through the lighted hall upstairs and knocked at Sir John’s door. There was no answer. She tried the door, but found it locked. This was not unusual. He had a separate entrance to his study, communicating by a balcony and a flight of stairs with the garden. A wild fear seized her. Possibly Sir John had been in the garden when the shot was fired; it may have been intended for him. She knocked again louder, and this time she heard his step and the door was opened.