red for any rashness. She divined that his
hatred of Haddo was no longer within the bounds of reason. The desire for
vengeance filled him entirely, so that he was capable of any violence.

Several days went by.

At last, in concert with Dr Porhoet, she determined to make one more
attempt. It was late at night, and they sat with open windows in the
sitting-room of the inn. There was a singular oppressiveness in the air
which suggested that a thunderstorm was at hand. Susie prayed for it; for
she ascribed to the peculiar heat of the last few days much of Arthur's
sullen irritability.

'Arthur, you _must_ tell us what you are going to do,' she said. 'It
is useless to stay here. We are all so ill and nervous that we cannot
consider anything rationally. We want you to come away with us tomorrow.'

'You can go if you choose,' he said. 'I shall remain till that man is
dead.'

'It is madness to talk like that. You can do nothing. You are only making
yourself worse by staying here.'

'I have quite made up my mind.'

'The law can offer you no help, and what else can you do?'

She asked the question, meaning if possible to get from him some hint of
his intentions; but the grimness of his answer, though it only confirmed
her vague suspicions, startled her.

'If I can do nothing else, I shall shoot him like a dog.'

She could think of nothing to say, and for a while they remained in
silence. Then he got up.

'I think I should prefer it if you went,' he said. 'You can only hamper
me.'

'I shall stay here as long as you do.'

'Why?'

'Because if you do anything, I shall be compromised. I may be arrested. I
think the fear of that may restrain you.'

He looked at her steadily. She met his eyes with a calmness which
showed that she meant exactly what she said, and he turned uneasily
away. A silence even greater than before fell upon them. They did not
move. It was so still in the room that it might have been empty. The
breathlessness of the air increased, so that it was horribly oppressive.
Suddenly there was a loud rattle of thunder, and a flash of lightning
tore across the heavy clouds. Susie thanked Heaven for the storm which
would give presently a welcome freshness. She felt excessively ill at
ease, and it was a relief to ascribe her sensation to a state of the
atmosphere. Again the thunder rolled. It was so loud that it seemed to
be immediately above their heads. And the wind rose suddenly and swept
with a long m