Lamia, sitting on the sofa, leaning forward, listening intently, now broke into a low, demoniacal chuckle.
“Julia!” exclaimed John Legg, breathing hard through excitement. “I hate to hurt you, but I must prevent murder.”
And he wrenched her arms from around his neck, threw her back in the armchair and rushed from the library to the drawing-room.
CHAPTER XXVI
A TERRIBLE SCENE
We must now explain the cause of the parlor storm. It came on in this way:
All the guests of Haymore Hall—with the exception of the Legg family in the library—were still assembled in the drawing-room.
The Campbell party, father, mother and daughter, still occupied the obscure sofa against the rear wall of the back division.
Judy and Will Walling were seated near, talking with them.
Dandy, Mike and Longman were standing on the rug before the fire, exchanging confidences on the affairs of the evening.
Gentleman Geff reclined, stupidly staring, on a divan in the recess of the front bay window, and occasionally drew from his pocket a large flask, which, with trembling hands, he uncorked and put to his lips.