The man stood motionless for a moment after her departure, as if waiting for the sound, which had so startled him, to be repeated.
But it was not, and going to the door, he peered into the hall to see who was there.
There was no one visible save the housekeeper, who just at that moment, accosted a housemaid, to whom she appeared to be giving some directions.
"Ah! it was only one of the guests," he muttered, "but the voice was wonderfully like—like—Ugh!"
He waited a few moments longer, trying to compose his nerves, which had been sadly unstrung, both by the wine he had drank in much larger quantities than usual, and the incidents that had just occurred, and then sought his own room, where he rang for a brandy-and-soda, and after taking it, went below to attend to his duties as host.
But neither he nor Edith dreamed that their recent interview had been observed by a third party, or had seen the white, convulsed face that had been looking in upon them, between the blinds at one of the windows, near which they had been standing.
Anna Goddard had sought her own room, directly after dinner, to make some little change in her toilet, and get her gloves, which she had left lying upon her dressing case.
As she opened the door of her boudoir she came very near giving utterance to a scream of fear upon coming face to face with a man.
The man was Emil Correlli, who had gained entrance to the apartment by climbing the vine trellis which led to the window. His secret return was in accordance with a plan previously agreed upon.
He informed his sister that he had sent a card of invitation to Mrs. Stewart of the Copley Square Hotel.