knows what dreadful
ideas that Hoag woman will put into his head. Nelson and I had hoped
that perhaps--perhaps we might be married in six months or a year.
Now--Oh, it is SO discouraging!"

Martha soothed her, told her not to be discouraged, that no doubt this
spirit outbreak would be only a mild one, that she was sure Captain Jeth
would "come around all right" in time, and grasped at any other straws
of comfort she found afloat. Galusha stood awkwardly by, his face
expressing concern, but his tongue silent. When Lulie declared she must
go home, he insisted upon walking to the light with her.

"But you don't need to, Mr. Bangs," she declared. "It is a pleasant
night and such a little way. And you know I am used to running about
alone. Why, what on earth do you think would be likely to hurt me, down
here in this lonesomeness?"

Nevertheless, he insisted. But, although she chatted during their short
walk, it was not until they reached the light keeper's gate that he
spoke. Then he laid a hand on her arm.

"Ah--ah--Miss Lulie--" he began, but she stopped him.

"I thought we had settled long ago," she said, "that I wasn't to be
'Miss' Lulie. Now you are beginning again."

"Yes--yes. I beg your pardon, of course. Well, Miss--Oh, dear me, HOW
ridiculous I am! Well, Lulie, I should like to tell you a story. May I?"

It seemed a queer place and an odd time to tell stories, but she said of
course he might.

"It wasn't a very long story," he went on, "but it is a true one.
I happened to think of it just now while we were talking, you and I
and--ah--Miss Martha. It is about me. On one of my expeditions in Egypt,
Miss Lu--Oh, good gracious!--On one of my Egyptian expeditions, Lulie,
I was in search of a certain tomb, or group of tombs. It was on this
expedition, by the way, that we found the very remarkable statue of
Amenemhait; Amenemhait III, you know."

Lulie smiled. "I DON'T know," she said, "but it doesn't matter."

"Eh? Oh, no, not at all, not in the least. He was a Pharaoh of the first
Theban period. But that doesn't matter either; and he hasn't anything
to do with this story. We had learned of the existence of this group of
tombs, or that they had existed at one time, and of their approximate
location, from an inscription dug up by myself at--"

The door of the light keeper's cottage swung open with a bang. A voice
roared across the night.

"Lulie!" shouted Captain Jethro. "Lulie!"

The Bangs' story broke o