CHAPTER XXXThen for a long, dreadful moment there was absolute silence in the studio. Butterfly had turned, and shrunk up against Konrad; Hilary had moved swiftly, and had laid a restraining hand upon Craig’s arm. The shaded lamp over the chair where Konrad had been reading burned softly and clearly; a tongue of flame caught at the end of a half-charred log, and burned up with a sudden sucking noise. But the men and women who stood facing each other did not speak; Hilary could hear Craig’s violent breathing and her own terrified heart.
Presently Konrad moved, and, gently shaking Dora free, went to Craig, and laid his long fingers upon Craig’s shoulder.
“No, my friend, no, my friend, I have done you no wrong,” he said, mildly. Craig, looking into his serene but bewildered face, showed a c
