t an eye-witness of the tragedy!
Perhaps there were last messages from the drowned girl!

Eustace turned a corner and came to an abrupt standstill. It seemed
to him in that instant as if his very heart stopped beating and his
hair stood straight on end.

It was absurd, of course. Bob had turned out to be no mere creation
of his own brain, but this could be nothing else. Here was proof
positive of Mr. Orban's words that one has but to think hard enough
about a person to imagine one sees him.

With her back to the outer door--a white figure with a face as
colourless as her dress--stood Dorothy Chase; nothing about her was
lifelike except the familiar deep-brown eyes that gazed steadfastly
on the startled boy.

It was an extraordinarily vivid hallucination, and not a little
terrifying. Was it no fancy? Could it possibly be Aunt Dorothy's
spirit come to visit her old home again? The thought leapt into the
boy's mind.

Eustace was no coward, but the notion fairly paralyzed him; he
could not have moved to save his life. One supreme effort he made.

"Aunt Dorothy," he whispered hoarsely, and could say no more, for
his lips were parched, his throat was dry.

The vision raised a warning hand.

"Hush!" she said; "don't be frightened. I see Bob has not told you
yet; but it is all right, darling. I am a real live human being,
and no spirit. Just Aunt Dorothy come back to you safe and sound."

The words seemed to come from far away, and Eustace felt so queer
he swayed to try and keep his balance. He was so giddy he must have
fallen had the vision not swept forward and caught him. The feeling
of those strong arms about him, the warm touch of Aunt Dorothy's
face bent down to his, brought him with a jerk to himself again,
and he did not faint. But even then he could not believe his
senses.

"I don't understand," he gasped, shaking from head to foot in her
arms; and he pressed his face tight against her shoulder to try and
recover himself.

"Poor old chap!" said Aunt Dorothy, "how I have upset you! I never
meant any of you to see me till you knew. Bob is breaking the news
to father and mother gently. We were afraid the shock of joy would
be too much for them, so we did not even cable, but came at once. A
letter would have got here very little sooner than ourselves."

She talked on in a soft, soothing voice to give the boy time to
pull himself together, and all the time she held him close.

"You--you weren't drowned," E