han ever. He had seen, or dreamed of seeing, the ghost during
the past night. For the first time (he said) the apparition of the dead
man had spoken to him. In solemn words it had condemned him to expiate
his crime by giving his life for the life that he had taken. It had
warned him not to insist on marriage with Bertha Laroche: "She shall
share your punishment if she shares your life. And you shall know it by
this sign--_She shall see me as you see me._"

I tried to compose him. He shook his head in immovable despair. "No,"
he answered; "if she sees him when I see him, there ends the one hope
of release that holds me to life. It will be good-by between us, and
good-by forever!"

We had walked on, while we were speaking, to a part of the park through
which there flowed a rivulet of clear water. On the further bank, the
open ground led down into a wooded valley. On our side of the stream
rose a thick plantation of fir-trees intersected by a winding path.
Captain Stanwick stopped as we reached the place. His eyes rested, in
the darkening twilight, on the narrow space pierced by the path among
the trees. On a sudden he lifted his right hand, with the same cry of
pain which we had heard before; with his left hand he took Miss Laroche
by the arm. "There!" he said. "Look where I look! Do you see him there?"

As the words passed his lips, a dimly-visible figure appeared, advancing
toward us along the path.

Was it the figure of a living man? or was it the creation of my own
excited fancy? Before I could ask myself the question, the man advanced
a step nearer to us. A last gleam of the dying light fell on his face
through an opening in the trees. At the same instant Miss Laroche
started back from Captain Stanwick with a scream of terror. She would
have fallen if I had not been near enough to support her. The Captain
was instantly at her side again. "Speak!" he cried. "Do _you_ see it,
too?"

She was just able to say "Yes" before she fainted in my arms.

He stooped over her, and touched her cold cheek with his lips. "Goodby!"
he said, in tones suddenly and strangely changed to the most exquisite
tenderness. "Good-by, forever!"

He leaped the rivulet; he crossed the open ground; he was lost to sight
in the valley beyond.

As he disappeared, the visionary man among the fir-trees advanced;
passed in silence; crossed the rivulet at a bound; and vanished as the
figure of the Captain had vanished before him.

I was left alo