"And I am equally convinced, Mary, that in a little over half an hour you will be sound asleep;" and in the morning Mary acknowledged that his anticipation had been verified. CHAPTER XX. CLEARED AT LAST. Reginald Carne was laid down on the table in the gardener's cottage. The doctor could now examine him, and whispered to the clergyman that both his legs were broken, and that he had no doubt whatever he had received terrible internal injuries. "I don't think he will live till morning." Presently there was a knock at the door. "Can I come in?" Mr. Volkes asked, when the doctor opened it. "I have known the poor fellow from the time he was a child. Is he sensible?" "He is sensible in a way," the doctor said. "That is, I believe he knows perfectly well what we are saying, but he has several times laughed that strange, cunning laugh that is almost peculiar to the insane." "Well, at any rate, I will speak to him," said Mr. Volkes. "Do you know me, Reginald?" he went on in a clear voice as he came up to the side of the table. Reginald Carne nodded, and again a low mocking laugh came from his lips. "You thought you were very clever, Volkes, mighty clever; but I tricked you." "You tricked me, did you?" the magistrate said, cheerfully. "How did you trick me?" "You thought, and they all thought, the dull-headed fools, that Ronald Mervyn killed Margaret. Ho! ho! I cheated you all nicely." A glance of surprise passed between his listeners. Mr. Volkes signed to the others not to speak, and then went on: "So he did, Reginald, so he did--though we couldn't prove it; you did not trick us there." "I did," Reginald Carne said, angrily. "I killed her myself." [Illustration: "'_I did,' Reginald Carne said, angrily--'I killed her myself._'"] An exclamation of horror broke from the three listeners. Mr. Volkes was the first to recover himself. "Nonsense, Reginald, you are dreaming."