The trees on the Warrington lawn sighed incessantly; and drip, drip, drip, went the rain on the leaves.

Not a light shone anywhere in the house; total darkness brooded over it.

In one of the rooms a dog lay with his nose against the threshold of the door.

From time to time he whined mournfully.

In another room an Angora cat stalked restlessly back and forth, sometimes leaping upon a chair, sometimes trotting round and round, and again, wild-eyed and furtive, it stood motionless, as if listening.