"'Ah yes, indade. It's years now that I've been wanting to do it. And there I was on a roof in Dublin and who should I see coming down the street but my brother and I there with a rifle in my hand. A lovely shot it was, though I say it myself. Picked him off as clean as a bird. Ah! It was a foine moment, that, and I'll never forget it!'"
Boyd Carrington told a story well, with exaggerated dramatic emphasis, and we all laughed and felt easier. When he got up and strolled off saying he must get a bath before dinner, Norton voiced our feeling by saying with enthusiasm:
"What a splendid chap he is!"
I agreed, and Luttrell said: "Yes, yes, a good fellow."
"Always been a success everywhere, so I understand," said Norton. "Everything he's turned his hand to has succeeded. Clear-headed, knows his own mind - essentially a man of action. The true successful man."
Luttrell said slowly:
"Some men are like that. Everything they turn their hand to succeeds. They can't go wrong. Some people - have all the luck."
Norton gave a quick shake of the head.
"No, no, sir. Not luck," He quoted with meaning. "Not in our stars, dear Brutus - but in ourselves."
Luttrell said: "Perhaps you're right."
I said quickly:
"At any rate he's lucky to have inherited Knatton. What a place! But he certainly ought to marry. He'll be lonely there by himself."
Norton laughed. "Marry and settle down? And suppose his wife bullies him -"
It was the purest bad luck. The sort of remark that anyone could make. But it was unfortunate in the circumstances, and Norton realized it just at the moment that the words came out. He tried to catch them back, hesitated, stammered, and stopped awkwardly. It made the whole thing worse.
Both he and I began to speak at once. I made some idiotic remark about the evening light. Norton said something about having some bridge after dinner.
Colonel Luttrell took no notice of either of us. He said in a queer, inexpressive voice:
"No, Boyd Carrington won't get bullied by his wife. He's not the sort of man who lets himself get bullied. He's all right. He's a man!"
It was very awkward. Norton began babbling about bridge again. In the middle of it a large wood pigeon came flapping over our heads and settled on the branch of a tree not far away.
Colonel Luttrell picked up his gun.
"There's one of the blighters," he said.
But before he could take aim the bird had flown off again through the trees where it was impossible to get a shot at it.
At the same moment, however, the Colonel's attention was diverted by a movement on the far slope.
"Damme, there's a rabbit nibbling the bark of those young fruit trees. Thought I'd wired the place."
He raised the rifle and fired, and as I saw -
There came a scream in a woman's voice. It died in a kind of horrible gurgle.
The rifle fell from the Colonel's hand, his body sagged - he caught his lip.
"My God - it's Daisy."
I was already running across the lawn. Norton came behind me. I reached the spot and knelt down. It was Mrs Luttrell. She had been kneeling, tying a stake against one of the small fruit trees. The grass was long there so that I realized how it was that the Colonel had not seen her clearly and had only distinguished movement in the grass. The light, too, was confusing. She had been shot through the shoulder and the blood was gushing out.
I bent to examine the wound and looked up at Norton. He was leaning against a tree and was looking green and as though he were going to be sick. He said apologetically:
"I can't stand blood."
I said sharply:
"Get hold of Franklin - at once. Or the nurse."
He nodded and ran off.
It was Nurse Craven who appeared first upon the scene. She was there in an incredibly short time and at once set about in a businesslike way to stop the bleeding. Franklin arrived at a run soon afterwards. Between them they got Mrs Luttrell into the house and to bed. Franklin dressed and bandaged the wound and sent for her own doctor and Nurse Craven stayed with her.
I ran across Franklin just as he left the telephone.
"How is she?"
"Oh! She'll pull through all right. It missed any vital spot luckily. How did it happen?"
I told him. He said:
"I see. Where's the old boy? He'll be feeling knocked out. I shouldn't wonder. Probably needs attention more than she does. I shouldn't say his heart is any too good."
We found Colonel Luttrell in the smoking room. He was a blue colour round the mouth and looked completely dazed. He said brokenly:
"Daisy? Is she - how is she?"
Franklin said quickly:
"She'll be all right, sir. You needn't worry."
"I - thought - rabbit - nibbling the bark - don't know how I came to make such a mistake. Light in my eyes."
"These things happen," said Franklin drily. "I've seen one or two of them in my time. Look here, sir, you'd better let me give you a pick-me-up. You're not feeling too good."
"I'm all right. Can I - can I go to her?"
"Not just now. Nurse Craven is with her. But you don't need to worry. She's all right. Dr Oliver will be here presently and he'll tell you the same."
I left the two of them together and went out into the evening sunshine. Judith and Allerton were coming along the path towards me. His head was bent to hers and they were both laughing.
Coming on top of the tragedy that had just happened, it made me feel very angry. I called sharply to Judith and she looked up surprised. In a few words I told them what had occurred.
"What an extraordinary thing to happen," was my daughter's'comment.
