face, he braced himself to see by the next flash and
remember what he saw; but when it came he only knew that it reflected
light into the pools on the road in front of him, and revealed a black
panorama of fence and tree, field and hill, that the next moment, was
all so jumbled in his mind that he did not know where to avoid the very
puddles he had seen so clearly, and splashed on through them, with no
better knowledge of his way, and eyes too dazzled to see what otherwise
they would have seen. In this plight he did not hesitate, but turned and
ran after the two he had met, to ask his way, thinking, as he did so,
that he must have already passed the lane.

With some effort he caught them up. They must have heard him coming, for
their voices were silent as he approached. He asked for the lane to
Cooper's Farm, which he had been told was the name of the house at the
foot of the mountain path. They both hesitated in their walk. The man,
who ought to have answered, seemed, for some reason, suddenly dumb.
After waiting impatiently, the lady took upon herself to reply. She said
they had not yet reached the turning to the farm. She remarked that they
were going to the same place.

Then they went on again, and he, too, walked quickly, supposing that he
could soon pass them and get in front. It is not the matter of a moment,
however, to pass people who are walking at a rate of speed almost equal
to one's own. He had the awkwardness of feeling, that, whether he would
or no, he was obliged to intrude upon them. He noticed they were not
walking near together; but when one is tramping and picking steps as
best one can in mud that is hidden in darkness, it is, perhaps, more
natural that two people on a wide road should give one another a wide
berth. At any rate, for a minute all three were making their way through
puddles and over rough places in silence. Then, when Alec thought he had
got a few paces in advance, he heard the lady speak again, and of
himself.

"Did you think you knew that man?"

There was no answer. Alec felt angry with her companion that he should
dare to sulk so obviously. After a minute or two more of fast walking,
she said again:

"I can't think where he has gone to. Do you see him anywhere?"

To this again there was no answer. Alec naturally went the quicker that
he might get out of hearing. As he did so he wondered much that his
fellow-travellers went so fast, or rather that the lady did, for she,
althou