"Yes."
"Anything more?" Dr. Shower's fingers were now twisted in the trimmed beard, eagerly.
"Miss Burton cried out. Then there was a sudden jar that made everything shake."
"Like some one falling?"
"Yes," replied the nurse, with lowered head.
"Ah!" This was a low, long-drawn exclamation and came from Osborne; and it was followed by a deep silence during which the rapid ticking of a small clock upon a writing table seemed to suddenly swell into an overwhelming volume of sound.
It was the sick girl who spoke first. She threw out her frail, white hands in a gesture of protection toward her brother.
"Frank!" she cried. "Do you hear?"
The young man, ashen of face, and with eyes wide open, had been staring at the nurse. But at the sound of his sister's voice he roused himself, and said hurriedly:
"All right, Mary. All right, my dear!" Then to the assistant coroner he added: "Very likely what Miss Wheeler says is true. There was a struggle, though not much of a one, and perhaps my sister was frightened and did cry out."