Chapter 9

When I suddenly stepped forward, so surrounded and dishevelled in that terrifying crowd, and with this strange combination of lights, I must have had an unusual and terrifying appearance. It was a good thing that I realised all this in time to avoid another disaster. The half-dazed detective, working mechanically, placed the cartridges and raised his revolver to fire at me when I succeeded in pulling the respirator and shouting to him to hold his hand. In this, too, he acted mechanically. The red, half-awake eyes had not, until then, had the intention of conscious action. However, the danger was averted. Oddly enough, the relief from the situation came in a simple way. Mrs. Grant, seeing that our young friend was wearing only her nightgown, went to fetch a heavier one and threw it over her. Now, that simple act has brought us all back into the realm of truth. With a long breath, everyone seemed to devote themselves to the most urgent matter before us, namely, to stem the flow of blo