"That was all?"
"Yes."
The girl stood in such a position that the waning daylight fell full upon her beautiful face. Ashton-Kirk said, quietly:
"Thank you." Then as she was about to turn toward Scanlon he added: "Pardon me; you have had a little accident, I notice."
Her hand went to her brow, and her eyes, startled and big, looked at him swiftly.
"I hadn't noticed it," he went on, quietly, "until you pushed your hair back a moment ago. It must have been very painful."
"Oh, yes—yes!" She hurriedly drew down some strands of the heavy bronze hair over an ugly, dark bruise near the temple. "I had forgotten. Yes, it was very painful, indeed, when it happened. You see," and she laughed in a breathless, nervous sort of way, "my maid left the door of a dressing cabinet open in my room at the theatre, and as I bent over I struck against it."
He murmured something sympathetically; and then looked at Scanlon, who obediently arose.
"In the morning," said Ashton-Kirk, "we'll take the first train for Stanwick; and by this time to-morrow evening we may have some news of importance for you."
"I hope so," she answered, "I sincerely hope so."