To say that I was shocked would be mildly to describe my terrible agitation.
"My first thought--and first thoughts are sometimes right--was that he had been shot down by Odette Rider, who for some reason had returned.
The room, however, was empty, and a curious circumstance, about which I will tell you, was that the window leading out to the area of the flat was wide open." "It was protected with heavy bars," said Tarling, "so nobody could have escaped that way." "I examined the wound," Milburgh went on, nodding his agreement with Tarling's description, "and knew that it was fatal.

I do not think, however, that Mr.Thornton Lyne was dead at this time.

My next thought was to stanch the wound, and I pulled open the drawer and took out the first thing which came to my hand, which was a night-dress.

I had to find a pad and employed two of Odette's handkerchiefs for the purpose.

First of all I stripped him of his coat and his vest, a task of some difficulty, then I fixed him up as best I could.