"I dare not," whispered Dentham, shrinking back, "he's dead."
"How do you know he is dead?" said Rudall, angrily, "he may be only in a trance—do what I tell you, or I'll thrash you within an inch of your life."
On hearing this Dentham with manifest reluctance did as he was told, but gave a shudder of fear as he seized the inert feet of the figure on the couch. Teddy held up the head, and, preceded by Olive with the lights, the two men with great difficulty managed to carry the body upstairs to the sitting-room.
Olive's courage sustained her thus far, but when she saw Adrian's body lying on the floor stiff and cold, she let the candles fall from her hands and flung herself down in a paroxysm of sorrow.
"Oh, Adrian!—Adrian!" she wailed, clasping one cold hand, "he is dead!—dead!"
"Nonsense," said Teddy roughly, kneeling beside the still form, "if he were dead, symptoms of decay would have set in long ago—he's not dead, I tell you, but in a trance."
The girl dried her eyes, summoned up all her courage, and arose to her feet.
"Are you certain he is not dead?" she asked breathlessly.
"It's rather difficult to say," answered Teddy, rising also and leading her to a seat, "but we'll send at once for a doctor and, meantime, you must have a glass of wine. Dentham, get some wine for Miss Maunders."
Dentham disappeared and, meantime, Teddy comforted Olive as well as he was able.