a sharp twang and the skeleton seemed to jump. I recovered myself immediately and I saw that the end
of the wire had come loose and had cut the binding of the book and was still stuck in it. For a moment
Madame was dreadfully angry. She caught my arm and squeezed it so it hurt and her eyes were furious
and she said in the strangest voice, "Why did you do that? Answer me. Why?" And she actually shook
me. I don't blame her now, although then she really did frighten me, because she must have thought I did
it deliberately. Then she saw how I was trembling and her eyes and voice became gentle and she said,
"Something is troubling you, my dear. Tell me and perhaps I can help you." She made me lie down upon
a divan and sat beside me and stroked my hair and forehead and though I never discuss our cases to
others I found myself pouring out the whole story of the Peters case. She asked who was the man who
had brought him to the hospital and I said Dr. Lowell called him Ricori and I supposed he was the