rty fist at your honour this
moment! Sir, I beg----"

"'Tis very natural, Zeb."

"Nat'ral sir, and wherefore?"

"I--er--had occasion to--ha--flog the fellow."

"Flogged him, sir?"

"And broke my--ha--very modish cane a-doing it!"

"Cane, sir?" repeated the Sergeant, jogging alongside again. "Ha, and
brought home his bludgeon instead, I mind, not so ornymental--but a
deal handier, your honour."

Here the Major fell again to gloomy abstraction, observing which the
Sergeant held his peace until, having climbed a steepish ascent, they
came where stood a finger-post at the parting of the ways and here the
Sergeant ventured another question:

"And wherefore flog same, sir?"

"Eh?" said the Major, starting, "O, for a good and sufficient reason,
Zeb, and----" He broke off with a sudden breathless exclamation and
the Sergeant, following the direction of his wide gaze, beheld three
people approaching down a shady bye-road.

"Why sir," he exclaimed, "here's my Lady Carlyon as----"

The Major wheeled his big bay and, clapping in spurs, galloped off in
the opposite direction.

"_Sapperment!_" exclaimed the Sergeant. He was yet staring in
amazement after his master's rapidly retreating figure when he became
aware that my lady had reined up her horse beside him.

"Why Sergeant," she questioned, "O Sergeant, what is't? Why did he
spur away at sight of me?"

"Bewitchment, mam--black magic and sorcery damned, my lady!" answered
the Sergeant, shaking rueful head. "Last night, your ladyship, he see
the devil, same being in form of a apparation----"

"Sergeant Zebedee, what do you mean?"

"A gobling, mam--a ghost as vanished itself away into your garden, my
lady--we both see same and his honour followed it."

"Into--my garden?" she questioned quick-breathing, her eyes very
bright, her slender hand tight-clenched upon her riding-switch.

"Aye mam, your garden. Since when he's been witched and spell-bound,
d'ye see."

"How--how?"

"Why, a tramp--tramping in his study all night long and groaning to
himself--right mournful, mam."

"Groaning?"

"And likewise a-sighing--very dismal. And this morning I took the
liberty of observing him unbeknownst--through the window, d'ye see--me
not having had a wink o' sleep either--and when he lifted his head----"

"Well?" she said faintly.

"'Twas like--like death in life, mam."

My lady's head was bowed but the Sergeant saw that the hand grasping
the whip was trembl