She was inarticulate. Her eyes closed and she swayed. She jerked her head toward the door. He took that for a sign that he was to go, and moved round the table. She was before him, crouching, barring the way. Strangled sobbing sounds came from her throat. He stretched out his hands to implore her, to tell her of his almost intolerable pity. She sprang at him. She had a knife in her hand. He saw it flash, felt a burning pain in his breast, and fell. He could see her face twisted in an agony of fear close to his. Spittle from her lips fell upon his cheek. Her hands were busy at his breast. He lost consciousness. V THRIGSBY Nothing I'll bear from thee But nakedness, thou detestable town! THAT was an appalling night. René lay with his wound roughly staunched. Ann crouched in the darkness by the bedside, fondling his hand, clinging to him, occasionally weeping. Both watched the light come creeping over the roofs and chimneys. Neither could say a word. Their eyes met, and hers were fixed hungrily on his face like a dog's that has been whipped for fighting. She looked so scared that he desired only to reassure her. "Ann," he said. She kissed his hand and fondled it, and pressed it to her cheek, and bathed it in her tears and kissed away the tears. "You'd better fetch Kilner," he said. "He'll know what to do." "Don't let him know how it happened. Don't let him know I did it." "No. Go and fetch him." "Oh! I thought you was dead. I thought you was dead. Oh! Renny, dear, what should I ha' done if you'd been dead, my dear?" "Go and fetch Kilner. He'll tell us what to do." She brought Kilner and left them together. René made a clumsy attempt to shield Ann in a very incoherent account of the affair. Kilner saw through it but acquiesced in the intention. "Can you move?" he asked. "I think so." "Can you walk to a doctor's? There's one just round the corner. Better than having him here. Some doctors talk. You'll be better out of this." Leaning on Kilner's arm, René managed to reach the doctor's, but there he fainted. Kilner invented a story of an early morning street attack, and the doctor, who was not interested, swallowed it. He patched René up, gave him a prescription, and told him to call again that day. René disliked the man so much that he refused inwardly ever to go near him again. Between them they had half the fee, and promised to send round the rest. Kilner made René comfortable in his room and was then sent off to find Miss Cleethorpe. Lotta came at once. She and Kilner liked each other. Kilner had begun to see the affair in a humorous light. Anything to do with René was to him never very far short of absurdity.