.
The considerate young man had remembered this, too, and brought home
for Sophy some handkerchiefs of rainbow hues, which had been strangely
overlooked till now, at the bottom of one of his trunks. Old Sophy took
his gifts, but kept her black eyes open and watched every movement
of the young people all the more closely. It was through her that
the father had always known most of the actions and tendencies of his
daughter.

In the mean time the strange adventure on The Mountain had brought the
young master into new relations with Elsie. She had led him out of,
danger; perhaps saved him from death by the strange power she exerted.
He was grateful, and yet shuddered at the recollection of the whole
scene. In his dreams he was pursued by the glare of cold glittering
eyes, whether they were in the head of a woman or of a reptile he could
not always tell, the images had so run together. But he could not help
seeing that the eyes of the young girl had been often, very often,
turned upon him when he had been looking away, and fell as his own
glance met them. Helen Darley told him very plainly that this girl was
thinking about him more than about her book. Dick Venner found she
was getting more constant in her attendance at school. He learned, on
inquiry, that there was a new master, a handsome young man. The handsome
young man would not have liked the look that, came over Dick's face when
he heard this fact mentioned.

In short, everything was getting tangled up together, and there would be
no chance of disentangling the threads in this chapter.

CHAPTER XV. PHYSIOLOGICAL.

If Master Bernard felt a natural gratitude to his young pupil for saving
him from an imminent peril, he was in a state of infinite perplexity
to know why he should have needed such aid. He, an active, muscular,
courageous, adventurous young fellow, with--a stick in his hand, ready
to hold down the Old Serpent himself, if he had come in his way, to
stand still, staring into those two eyes, until they came up close to
him, and the strange, terrible sound seemed to freeze him stiff where he
stood,--what was the meaning of it? Again, what was the influence
this girl had seemingly exerted, under which the venomous creature had
collapsed in such a sudden way? Whether he had been awake or dreaming
he did not feel quite sure. He knew he had gone up The Mountain, at any
rate; he knew he had come down The Mountain with the girl walking just
before him;--th