She still remained in the same position; apparently at his mercy, neither hearing him nor seeing him.
"Rouse yourself!" he repeated. "My darling, come to me!"At the instant when he attempted to embrace her--at the instant when Mr. Rayburn rushed into the room--John Zant's arms, suddenly turning rigid, remained outstretched. With a shriek of horror, he struggled to draw them back--struggled, in the empty brightness of the sunshine, as if some invisible grip had seized him.
"What has got me?" the wretch screamed. "Who is holding my hands?
Oh, the cold of it! the cold of it!"
His features became convulsed; his eyes turned upward until only the white eyeballs were visible. He fell prostrate with a crash that shook the room.
The housekeeper ran in. She knelt by her master's body. With one hand she loosened his cravat. With the other she pointed to the end of the table.
Mrs. Zant still kept her place; but there was another change.