For example, the sheet had been torn into half a dozen
strips and they were lying side by side on the bed. The clock on
the mantelpiece had been knocked into the fireplace and then pounded
to pieces. All the looking-glasses in the room were smashed,
apparently the electric lamp that stood on the night table by the
bedside had been wrenched off and flung or hammered about amidst the
other breakables. And there was a considerable amount of blood
splashed about the room. The head chambermaid felt unequal to the
perplexities of the spectacle and summoned her most convenient
friend, the head chambermaid on the third floor, to her aid. The
first-floor waiter joined their deliberations and several housemaids
displayed a respectful interest in the matter. Finally they invoked
the manager. He was still contemplating the scene of the disorder
when the precipitate retreat of his subordinates warned him of
Benham's return.
Benham was smoking a cigarette and his bearing was reassuringly
tranquil.
"I had a kind of nightmare," he said. "I am fearfully sorry to have
disarranged your room.
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