; he hurried in
vain on this side and that; no trace of him remained. "If I were given
to the credulous, I'd say that was the fiend in person," muttered
Calvert, as he slowly turned towards his inn.

He tried in many ways to forget the speech that troubled him; he
counted over his winnings; they were nigh fourteen thousand francs; he
speculated on all he might do with them; he plotted and planned a dozen
roads to take, but do what he might, the old man's sinister look and
dark words were before him, and he could only lie awake thinking over
them till day broke.

Determined to return to Orta in time to meet the post, he drove to
the bank, just as it was open for business, and presented his bill for
payment.

"You have to sign your name here," said a voice he thought he
remembered, and, looking up, saw the old man of the play-table.

"Did we not meet last night?" whispered Calvert, in a low voice.

The other shook his head in dissent.

"Yes, I cannot be mistaken; you muttered a prediction in German as you
passed me, and I know what it meant."

Another shake of the head was all his reply.

"Come, come, be frank with me; your secret, if it be one to visit that
place, is safe with me. What leads you to believe I am destined to evil
fortune?"

"I know nothing of you! I want _to_ know nothing," said the old man,
rudely, and turned to his books.

"Well, if your skill in prophecy be not greater than in politeness, I
need not fret about you," said Calvert laughing; and he went his way.

With that superstitious terror that tyrannises over the minds of
incredulous men weighing heavily on his heart, he drove back to Orta.
All his winnings of the night before could not erase from lus memory the
dark words of the old man's prediction. He tried to forget, and then he
tried to ridicule it "So easy," thought he, "for that old withered
mummy to cast a shadow on the path of a fellow full of life, vigour, and
energy, like myself. He has but to stand one second in my sunshine! It
is, besides, the compensation that age and decrepitude exact for being
no longer available for the triumphs and pleasures of life." Such were
the sort of reasonings by which he sought to console himself, and then
he set to plan out a future--all the things that he could, or might, or
could not do.

Just as he drove into Orta the post arrived at the office, and he got
out and entered, as was his wont, to obtain his letters before the
public distributi