or rather of questioning, but only so far as the village inn;
for Barbara Vane was glad of the traveler's experience and sympathy, in
addition to that afforded her by the lawyer and doctor as old friends of
the family. Even Treherne was not discouraged from his occasional visits
with a view to helping the hunt for the lost man. The five held many
counsels round the old garden table, at which the unhappy master of
the house had dined for the last time; and Barbara wore her old mask of
stone, if it was now a more tragic mask. She had shown no passion after
the first morning of discovery, when she had broken forth once, speaking
strangely enough in the view of some of her hearers.

She had come slowly out of the house, to which her own or some one
else's wisdom had relegated her during the night of the wager; and it
was clear from her face that somebody had told her the truth; Miles, the
butler, stood on the steps behind her; and it was probably he.

"Do not be much distressed, Miss Vane," said Doctor Brown, in a low and
rather uncertain voice. "The search in the wood has hardly begun. I am
convinced we shall find--something quite simple."

"The doctor is right," said Ashe, in his firm tones; "I myself--"

"The doctor is not right," said the girl, turning a white face on the
speaker, "I know better. The poet is right. The poet is always right.
Oh, he has been here from the beginning of the world, and seen wonders
and terrors that are all round our path, and only hiding behind a bush
or a stone. You and your doctoring and your science--why, you have only
been here for a few fumbling generations; and you can't conquer even
your own enemies of the flesh. Oh, forgive me, Doctor, I know you do
splendidly; but the fever comes in the village, and the people die and
die for all that. And now it's my poor father. God help us all! The only
thing left is to believe in God; for we can't help believing in devils."
And she left them, still walking quite slowly, but in such a fashion
that no one could go after her.

The spring had already begun to ripen into summer, and spread a green
tent from the tree over the garden table, when the American visitor,
sitting there with his two professional companions, broke the silence by
saying what had long been in his mind.

"Well," he said, "I suppose whatever we may think it wise to say, we
have all begun to think of a possible conclusion. It can't be put very
delicately anyhow; but, after a