pleasure that he was
capable of upsetting her over his own personal welfare. Then the
something sinister about the whole story, which seemed to affect every
one with whom he came into touch, swept over him. A number of otherwise
rational human beings scared out of their wits over some mysterious
flames on the edge of the Fens at night time, seemed, in the face of this
glorious summer's afternoon, to be little short of ridiculous. He tried
to throw the idea off but could not. 'Toinette's pale face kept coming
before him; the sudden dropping of her spoon struck an unpleasant chord
in his memory. Brellier's attitude merely added fuel to the fire and soon
they rose to go, Merriton following them to the door.

"Don't forget, then, Miss Brellier, that you are booked to me for a ride
on Thursday," he said, laughingly.

She nodded to him and gave his hand a little squeeze at parting.

"I shall not forget, Sir Nigel. But--you will promise me," her voice
dropped a tone or two, "you will promise me that you will not try and
find out what those--those flames are, won't you? I could not sleep if
you did." And they were gone.

Merriton stood awhile in silence, his brows puckered and his mouth stern.
First Borkins, and then Brellier, and now--_her_! All of them begging him
almost upon their knees to forego a perfectly harmless little quest of
discovery. There seemed to his mind something almost fishy about it all.
What then were these "Frozen Flames"? What secret did they hide? And what
malignant power dwelt behind the screen of their mystery?

CHAPTER IV

AN EVIL GENIUS

Thus, despite the bad beginning at Merriton Towers the weeks that
followed were filled with happiness for Merriton. His acquaintance with
'Toinette flourished and that charming young woman grew to mean more and
more to the man who had led such a lonely life.

And so one day wove itself into another with the joy of sunlight over
both their lives. He took to going regularly to Withersby Hall, and
became an expected guest, dropping in at all hours to wile away an hour
or two in 'Toinette's company, or else to have a quiet game of billiards
with Brellier, or a cigar in company with both of them, in the garden,
while the sun was still up. He never mentioned the flames to them again.
But he never investigated them either. He had promised 'Toinette that,
though he often watched them from his bedroom window, at night, watched
them and wondered, and thought a