His head was horribly injured, and the whole room
bore witness to the savage ferocity of the blow which had struck
him down. Beside him lay the heavy poker, bent into a curve by
the concussion. Holmes examined both it and the indescribable
wreck which it had wrought.
"He must be a powerful man, this elder Randall," he remarked.
"Yes," said Hopkins. "I have some record of the fellow,
and he is a rough customer."
"You should have no difficulty in getting him."
"Not the slightest. We have been on the look-out for him,
and there was some idea that he had got away to America.
Now that we know the gang are here I don't see how they
can escape. We have the news at every seaport already,
and a reward will be offered before evening. What beats
me is how they could have done so mad a thing, knowing
that the lady could describe them, and that we could not
fail to recognise the description."
"Exactly. One would have expected that they would have
silenced Lady Brackenstall as well."
"They may not have realized," I suggested, "that she had
recovered from her faint."
"That is likely enough. If she seemed to be senseless they
would not take her life.
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