hat deep thoughts at the back of
his brain made him always so grave. She felt instinctively he had not
always worn this serious, preoccupied air, and her heart grew tender
anew at the thought of that "something" which had hurt him long ago.

Had he ever told anyone? she wondered. Would he ever tell anyone?...
or would he go quietly on through his life, self-contained,
self-dependent, aloof? Well, it was good to have met him and known
him; a simple, strong soul going quietly about its appointed service
is always good to have known. Perhaps the recollection of the meeting
later would help her to do likewise, and in the maze of her life learn
at least to do the simple, strong thing at the moment.

They were moving towards the western entrance now, and she wondered if
he would accompany her back to the tents, and perhaps stay a little,
as Stanley did evening after evening. But just as they approached the
opening voices were heard, and a moment later Diana and Stanley stood
in the wide aperture. Diana's winsome face was lit with whimsical
mischievousness, but it fell somewhat when she beheld Carew.

"O goodness!" she remarked comically. "Who would have thought of
finding you here?"

Stanley and Meryl laughed at her apparent discomfiture, and even Carew
relaxed as he replied, "You don't seem entirely pleased."

"Well, no, I'm not; but if you are just leaving it doesn't matter."

"I think I shall stay; I scent some vandalism."

"O well," airily, "if you will have it, we were just coming to dig for
corpses;" and she tossed her head with an independent air.

"It is strictly forbidden to dig for anything on pain of various dire
penalties," Carew told her.

"I know it is, and that is just exactly why it interferes with my
plans to find _you_ here."

"I see. And what about Mr. Stanley, who is also a representative of
the Government that made the laws?"

"Mr. Stanley is only a trooper, and I am Diana Pym. It is not his
place to interfere with my actions. It would only be mine to shield
him if he was persuaded to help me and got into trouble."

"And what in the world do you want with a corpse, Di?" asked Meryl.

"Why gold, of course! Mr. Stanley has been telling me a perfectly
thrilling theory about corpses with a lot of antique gold ornaments on
them being buried in the ruins; and he knows where one or two are,
because a gold-diviner showed him with his divining-rod, and he marked
the places in case he wanted to remem