ed the faint, drowsy
hum of insect life. Everything was very quiet. She failed to notice
the exact moment when Wang's head vanished from the foliage, taking the
unreal hands away with it. To her horror, the spear-blades came gliding
slowly out. The very hair on her head stirred; but before she had
time to cry out, Heyst, who seemed rooted to the ground, turned round
abruptly and began to move towards her. His great moustaches did not
quite hide an ugly but irresolute smile; and when he had come down near
enough to touch her, he burst out into a harsh laugh:

"Ha, ha, ha!"

She looked at him, uncomprehending. He cut short his laugh and said
curtly:

"We had better go down as we came."

She followed him into the forest. The advance of the afternoon had
filled it with gloom. Far away a slant of light between the trees closed
the view. All was dark beyond. Heyst stopped.

"No reason to hurry, Lena," he said in his ordinary, serenely polite
tones. "We return unsuccessful. I suppose you know, or at least can
guess, what was my object in coming up there?"

"No, I can't guess, dear," she said, and smiled, noticing with
emotion that his breast was heaving as if he had been out of breath.
Nevertheless, he tried to command his speech, pausing only a little
between the words.

"No? I went up to find Wang. I went up"--he gasped again here, but this
was for the last time--"I made you come with me because I didn't like
to leave you unprotected in the proximity of those fellows." Suddenly he
snatched his cork helmet off his head and dashed it on the ground. "No!"
he cried roughly. "All this is too unreal altogether. It isn't to be
borne! I can't protect you! I haven't the power."

He glared at her for a moment, then hastened after his hat which had
bounded away to some distance. He came back looking at her face, which
was very white.

"I ought to beg your pardon for these antics," he said, adjusting his
hat. "A movement of childish petulance! Indeed, I feel very much like a
child in my ignorance, in my powerlessness, in my want of resource, in
everything except in the dreadful consciousness of some evil hanging
over your head--yours!"

"It's you they are after," she murmured.

"No doubt, but unfortunately--"

"Unfortunately--what?"

"Unfortunately, I have not succeeded with Wang," he said. "I failed to
move his Celestial, heart--that is, if there is such a thing. He told me
with horrible Chinese reasonableness that he