glishman to-morrow, with
the necessary credentials to establish me in his confidence. Tell me his
name?'

"I told it.

"'Give me his address?'

"I gave it, and turned to leave him. Before I had stepped out of the
shelter of the boats, I heard him behind me again.

"'One last word,' he said. 'Accidents sometimes happen at sea. Have
you interest enough in the Englishman--if an accident happens in his
case--to wish to know what has become of him?'

"I stopped, and considered on my side. I had plainly failed to persuade
him that I had no secret to serve in placing Armadale's money and (as
a probable consequence) Armadale's life at his mercy. And it was now
equally clear that he was cunningly attempting to associate himself
with my private objects (whatever they might be) by opening a means of
communication between us in the future. There could be no hesitation
about how to answer him under such circumstances as these. If the
'accident' at which he hinted did really happen to Armadale, I stood in
no need of Manuel's intervention to give me the intelligence of it. An
easy search through the obituary columns of the English papers would
tell me the news--with the great additional advantage that the papers
might be relied on, in such a matter as this, to tell the truth. I
formally thanked Manuel, and declined to accept his proposal. 'Having
no interest in the Englishman,' I said, 'I have no wish whatever to know
what becomes of him.'

"He looked at me for a moment with steady attention, and with an
interest in me which he had not shown yet.

"'What the game you are playing may be,' he rejoined, speaking slowly
and significantly, 'I don't pretend to know. But I venture on a
prophecy, nevertheless--_you will win it_! If we ever meet again,
remember I said that.' He took off his hat, and bowed to me gravely. 'Go
your way, madam. And leave me to go mine!'

"With those words, he released me from the sight of him. I waited a
minute alone, to recover myself in the air, and then returned to the
house.

"The first object that met my eyes, on entering the sitting-room,
was--Armadale himself!

"He was waiting on the chance of seeing me, to beg that I would exert
my influence with his friend. I made the needful inquiry as to what he
meant, and found that Midwinter had spoken as he had warned me he would
speak when he and Armadale next met. He had announced that he was unable
to finish his work for the newspaper as soon as he h