of
the child.

"And are you--_dead_?" he asked, sinking his voice to a whisper.

For a moment the woman's eyes wavered. She turned white and tried to
move away; but the boy seized her hand and peered more closely into her
face.

"I mean, if we escape and I get back into my body," he whispered, "will
you get back into yours too?"

The governess made no reply, and shifted uneasily on her feet. But the
boy would not let her go.

"Please answer," he urged, still in a whisper.

"Jimbo, what funny questions you ask!" she said at last, in a husky
voice, but trying to smile.

"But I want to know," he said. "I must know. I believe you are giving up
everything just to save me--_everything_; and I don't want to be saved
unless you come too. Tell me!"

The colour came back to her cheeks a little, and her eyes grew moist.
Again she tried to slip past him, but he prevented her.

"You must tell me," he urged; "I would rather stay here with you than
escape back into my body and leave you behind."

Jimbo knew it was his Older Self speaking--the freed spirit rather than
the broken body--but he felt the strain was very great; he could not
keep it up much longer; any minute he might slip back into the child
again, and lose interest, and be unequal to the task he now saw so
clearly before him.

"Quick!" he cried in a louder voice. "Tell me! You are giving up
everything to save me, aren't you? And if I escape you will be left
alone----quick, answer me! Oh, be quick, I'm slipping back----"

Already he felt his thoughts becoming confused again, as the spirit
merged back into the child; in another minute the boy would usurp the
older self.

"You see," began the governess at length, speaking very gently and
sadly, "I am bound to make amends whatever happens. I must atone----"

But already he found it hard to follow.

"Atone," he asked, "what does '_atone_' mean?" He moved back a step, and
glanced about the room. The moment of concentration had passed without
bearing fruit; his thoughts began to wander again like a child's.
"Anyhow, we shall escape together when the chance comes, shan't we?" he
said.

"Yes, darling, we shall," she said in a broken voice. "And if you do
what I tell you, it will come very soon, I hope." She drew him towards
her and kissed him, and though he didn't respond very heartily, he felt
he liked it, and was sure that she was good, and meant to do the best
possible for him.

Jimbo asked nothing more f