ly saw in the face, or was it an
illusion created by the swinging lantern?--her heart gave a sudden jerk
of horror. For it was to her as if she looked upon the face of a dead
man.

She stood still in the shadow of a weeping willow, arrested by that
look, and watched him come slowly forth.

He moved heavily as one driven by Fate, pulling the stable door to after
him. This he turned to lock, then stooped, still with that face as of a
death-mask, and deliberately extinguished his lantern.

Doris's heart jerked again at the action, and every pulse began to
clamour. Why did he put out the lantern before reaching the house?

The next moment she heard his footsteps, slow and heavy, coming towards
her. The path wound along a bank a couple of feet above the mill-stream.
He approached till in the darkness he had nearly reached her, then he
stopped.

She thought he had discerned her, but the next moment she realized that
he had not. He was facing the water; he seemed to be staring across it.
And even as she watched he took another step straight towards it.

It was then that like a flashlight leaping from his brain to hers she
realized what he was about to do. How the knowledge came to her she
knew not, but it was hers past all disputing in that single second of
blinding revelation. And just as that morning she had been inspired to
act on sheer wild impulse, so now without an instant's pause she acted
again. She sprang from her hiding-place with a strangled cry, and threw
her arms about him.

"Jeff! Jeff! What are you doing here?"

He gave a great start that made her think of a frightened animal, and
stood still. She felt his arms grow rigid at his sides, and knew that
his hands were clenched.

"Jeff!" she cried again, clinging faster. "You--you're never thinking
of--of that?"

Her utterance ended in a shudder as she sought with all her strength to
drag him away from the icy water.

He resisted her doggedly, standing like a rock. "Whatever I'm thinking
of doing is my affair," he said, shortly and sternly. "Go away and leave
me alone!"

"I won't!" she cried back to him half-hysterically. "I won't! If--if
you're going to do that, you'll take me with you!"

He turned round then and moved back to the path. "Who said I was going
to do anything?" he demanded in a voice that sounded half-angry and
half-ashamed.

She answered him with absolute candour. "I saw your face just now. I
couldn't help knowing. Oh, Jeff, Jeff! i