nating an
unpleasant position to Geoffrey, who was puzzled for a time. Finally,
an inspiration dawned upon Thurston, who said:

"Perhaps you would feel the disappointment less if I convinced you by
ocular demonstration."

Walking cautiously forward to the dangerous angle, he grasped a broken
edge of the rock outcrop about which the path twisted, and pressed hard
with both feet upon the edge of the narrow causeway. It was a
hazardous experiment, and the result of it startling, for there was a
crash and a rattle, and Geoffrey remained clinging to the rock, with
one foot in a cranny, while a mass of earth and timber slid down the
steep-pitched slope and disappeared over the face of the crag. A
hollow splashing rose suggestively from far beneath the rock. Helen,
who had been too angry to notice the consideration for herself implied
in the man's last speech, turned her eyes upon the ground and did not
raise them until, after swinging himself carefully onto firmer soil,
Geoffrey approached her. "I hope, after what you have seen, you will
forgive me for preventing your descent," he said.

"You used considerable violence, and I am still unconvinced," Helen
declared, rising as she spoke. "In any case, you have at least made
further progress impossible, and we may as well retrace our steps. No;
I do not wish to hear any more upon the subject. It is really not
worth further discussion."

They turned back together. When the ascent grew steeper, Geoffrey held
out his hand. Instead of accepting the proffered assistance as she had
done when they descended, Helen apparently failed to notice the hand,
and the homeward journey was not pleasant to either of them. Helen did
not parade her displeasure, but Geoffrey was sensible of it, and, never
being a fluent speaker upon casual subjects, he was not successful in
his conversational efforts. When at last they reached the villa, he
shook his shoulders disgustedly as he recalled some of his inane
remarks.

"It was hardly a wonder she was silent. Heavens, what prompted me to
drivel in that style?" he reflected. "It was cruelly unfortunate, but
I could not let her risk her precious safety over that confounded path!"

At luncheon it happened that Mrs. Savine said: "I saw you going towards
the White Rock Cove, Helen. Very interesting place, isn't it, Mr.
Thurston? But you brought none of that lovely weed back with you."

"Did you notice how I had the path graded as you wen