room and told Alan, who was sitting there smoking, that her
uncle had recovered from his faint, and that the doctor, who was to stay
all night, said that he was in no danger, only suffering from a heart
attack brought on apparently by over-work or excitement.
When Alan woke next morning the first thing that he heard through his
open window was the sound of the doctor's departing dogcart. Then Jeekie
appeared and told him that Mr. Haswell was all right again, but that
all night he had shaken "like one jelly." Alan asked what had been the
matter with him, but Jeekie only shrugged his shoulders and said that he
did not know--"perhaps Yellow God touch him up."
At breakfast, as in her note she had said she would, Barbara appeared
wearing a short skirt. Sir Robert, who was there, also looked extremely
pale even for him and with black rims round his eyes, asked her if she
were going to golf, to which she answered that she would think it over.
It was a somewhat melancholy meal, and as though by common consent no
mention was made of Jeekie's tale of the Yellow God, and beyond the
usual polite inquiries, very little of their host's seizure.
As Barbara went out she whispered to Alan, who opened the door for her,
"Meet me at half-past ten in the kitchen garden."
Accordingly, having changed his clothes surreptitiously, Alan, avoiding
the others, made his way by a circuitous route to this kitchen garden,
which after the fashion of modern places was hidden behind a belt of
trees nearly a quarter of a mile from the house. Here he wandered about
till presently he heard Barbara's pleasant voice behind him saying:
"Don't dawdle so, we shall be late for church."
So they started, somewhat furtively like runaway children. As they went
Alan asked how her uncle was.
"All right now," she answered, "but he has had a bad shake. It was
that Yellow God story which did it. I know, for I was there when he
was coming to, with Sir Robert. He kept talking about it in a confused
manner, saying that it was swimming to him across the floor, till at
last Sir Robert bent over him and told him to be quiet quite sternly.
Do you know, Alan, I believe that your pet fetish has been manifesting
itself in some unpleasant fashion up there in the office?"
"Indeed. If so, it must be since I left, for I never heard of anything
of the sort, nor are Aylward and your uncle likely people to see ghosts.
In fact Sir Robert wished to give me about L17,000 for
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