In the feeble illumination the Madonna herself was smiling back at him, and seemed almost to waver and lean gently toward him. It was a strangely intimate scene--almost I felt as if I had intruded upon an interview between lovers. And yet that was all nonsense, as I presently realized. Immensely relieved that the intruder was, after all, no intruder but one of the household servants, I quietly hid the sword behind the folds of the portière, leaning it against the inner wall as unobtrusively as possible. But the man before the picture would not, I think, have noticed had I dropped the clumsy thing, so absorbed was he. And then, when I had disposed of my armament, I entered the apartment and came within three feet of him before I spoke. "Wilkes," I said quietly, "what are you doing here?" The man jumped as though he had been shot, and spun round to face me. All self-control was momentarily gone from him, and that was a terrible thing to see. His jaw had dropped and the lips quivered pitifully, his whole face shook convulsively and his shoulders heaved. Then by a supreme effort he regained his self-mastery. His figure grew quiet, the shoulders drooped in the manner which seemed habitual to them, and the lines of his face hardened, adding the years which his enraptured pre-occupation had temporarily stripped from him. Once more he was the unobtrusive body servant. "I beg pardon, Miss Talbot," he said. "I was startled." "So was I," I commented dryly. "I thought you were--well, never mind. What are you doing down here?" "I fancied I heard some one, miss," the man replied. "Prowlers, or cracksmen, perhaps; and thought I'd better just take a look round." "H'm!" said I, unconvinced. "So you heard them, too, eh?" A curious look passed over his face. I could have vowed the emotion was fright--that he had not the remotest idea I would have said such a thing. "Did you hear anything, miss?" he asked. "I certainly did." "Perhaps it was myself you heard then, miss!" "I don't know!" I replied, looking at him sharply. "Perhaps it was. At any rate I know positively that I saw two men stealing in the direction of these windows not over twenty minutes ago. But there is only one man here now, it seems." "You saw two men!" he snapped, his voice keen with concern. Then he dropped it to his usual modulation. "Are you quite sure there was some one in the garden?" "As sure as that I am standing here!" I retorted. "I saw them perfectly--at least plainly enough to be sure they were men; and up to no good, I am equally certain of that!" Surely there was nothing mysterious about this man--he was all too plainly just a stupid servant. I could have shaken him from sheer irritation, and began bitterly to regret having left that note in his chamber. "Well?" I said impatiently. "Aren't you going to do something about it?" "Ah--er--yes, certainly, miss," said he, "I'll have a look round of course. Did you say they came this way?"