She
knew, and she was in that house!
The boat was close in now, but had not yet turned into the Pool of San
Francesco. Artois kept his eyes upon the window for still a moment
longer. He felt now, he knew, that Hermione was in the room beyond
that window. As he gazed up from the sea he saw that the window was
open. He saw behind the frame of it a white curtain stirring in the
breeze. And then he saw something that chilled his blood, that seemed
to drive it in an icy stream back to his heart, leaving his body for a
moment numb.
He saw a figure come, with a wild, falling movement to the window--a
white, distorted face utterly strange to him looked out--a hand lifted
in a frantic gesture.
The gesture was followed by a crash.
The green Venetian blind had fallen, hiding the window, hiding the
stranger's face.
"Who was that at the window, Signore?" asked Giovanni, staring at
Artois with round and startled eyes.
And Artois answered: "It is difficult to see, Giovanni, now that the
sun has gone down.
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