d told her that I was dead, and
that he had seen my dead body. This little girl is their child."

"While you are talking, you are losing blood," said Frank. "Move back,
and let me see if I cannot stop the flow."

He induced the Hermit to move back into the cave, where he was able to
light some matches and examine the wound. Not being a physician, Frank
could not tell how severe it was; but, with considerable difficulty, he
finally succeeded in stanching the flow of blood to a certain extent.

"It is useless," declared the Hermit. "I am booked, and I am glad of
that. I have nothing to live for."

"Yes, you has!" cried little Fay, creeping close to him. "I dess you is
pretty dood man. One time I had a birdie that die, and it was all
tovered up in the dround. You don't want to be all tovered up like dat.
I don't want you to be."

"God bless you!" murmured the Hermit, thickly. "You are a dear, sweet
child, and I shall not live to make more trouble for your father and
mother."

All was quiet at the mouth of the cave. Frank was longing to hear more
of the Hermit's story, and so he questioned the man.

"How does it happen that Foster Fairfax and his wife are not living
together?"

"I separated them."

"How?"

"I appeared like one risen from the dead, and Marian was prostrated by
the sight of me. I denounced Foster, called him a false friend and a
dastardly traitor. I was insane at the moment, and it is remarkable that
I did not kill him. However, I swore to have his life if we ever met
again. Then I left them."

"And you did not see Fairfax again till you met him here in the park?"

"No."

"How did it happen he left his wife?"

"When I met him I did not know they were not living together. He forced
me to listen, and he told me how he had taken a mangled corpse from the
wreck and buried it as me--how he had firmly believed me dead. Then he
bore the news to Marian, and she was prostrated.

"He loved her, but it was long before she consented to marry him. At
last, she did so, and they married, both believing me in my grave."

Frank was fascinated by the story.

"Go on," he urged.

"When I appeared both were horrified. When I left them, Marian accused
Foster of treachery. She was unreasonable and would listen to nothing he
could say. She bade him leave her and never return. He departed, and
they have not seen each other since. He does not know she is somewhere
in the park, as she must be, else the child wou