“I might reply by inquiring what affair that is of yours; but I don’t mind informing you that she suffers from hallucinations.” “Hallucinations? Oh, they’re hallucinations, are they?” There was something in his tone for which I could have knocked him down. He spoke to her across the room. “What is your name?” “My name? I don’t know what my name is.” “Not know your name? Come, that won’t do. Tell me what your name is.” “The lady does not know her name; do you not hear her say so? You will doubt the lady’s word, Mr. Symonds, at your peril.” “Remove your hand; do you wish to dislocate my shoulder? You forget your own strength, as well as other things, Mr. Ferguson. If you will not tell me who this lady is, and she herself cannot, then I must detain her till inquiries have been made.” “Detain her? What do you mean?” “This lady has forced her way into this room, and I have myself heard her, with my own ears, accuse herself, at least, of participation in the murder of this unfortunate man.” His colleague chimed in: “There can be no sort of doubt upon that point. I heard her too. She said, ‘I killed him.’” He went to the other side of the bed, and replaced the sheet over the dead man’s head and face. The policeman put in his word. “I beg your pardon, sir, but she’s been behaving in the most extraordinary manner in the other room. It seems, from what she’s been saying, and doing, that she was there when the gentleman was being murdered, and she’s been acting it all over to herself again as it were. Struck him with a great knife, she said she did.” “You heard her admit that she struck him with a knife?” “I did--more than once; and these two gentlemen, and that lady heard her, too. She said that she meant to kill him all along; and then she said she struck him in the back with a great knife, and he fell forward on his face; and she acted how she struck him, and how he fell.” “In face of that statement my duty’s plain; the lady must be detained.” He was going on, but I cut him short. “Then I say that the lady shall not be detained; I will save you, Mr. Symonds, from making one of the most serious mistakes you ever made in your life. Miss Adair, escort the lady from the room. I will see that no one touches her. Now, constable, out of the way.” I moved towards the policeman, who did not wait for me to touch him. He slipped aside. The Inspector interposed. “Now, Mr. Ferguson, I warn you to be careful. May I ask you, Dr. Hume, to explain to this gentleman what are the consequences of impeding the police in the execution of their duty. You might also point out to him how worse than futile such attempts always are.”