e the spread of
the branches of the great oak, and commanding a view of the area
beneath them.

"The moon will come out again presently," he said, when George had
followed his example. "She has got behind that thunder-cloud. Ah!" as
a bright flash of lightning passed from heaven to earth, "I thought
that we should get a storm; it will be here in half an hour."

All this Philip said to gain time; he had not quite made up his mind
what price to offer.

"Never mind the lightning. What do you offer for the property,
inclusive of timber, and with all improvements--just as it stands, in
short."

"One hundred thousand pounds cash," said Philip, deliberately.

George sprang from his seat, and sat down again before he answered.

"Do you think that I am drunk, or a fool, that you come to me with
such a ridiculous offer? Why, the probate valuation was two hundred
thousand, and that was very low."

"I offer one hundred thousand, and am willing to settle thirty
thousand absolutely on the girl should she marry you, and twenty
thousand more on my death. That is my offer--take it, or leave it."

"Talk sense, man; your terms are preposterous."

"I tell you that, preposterous or not, I will not go beyond them. If
you don't like them, well and good, leave them alone, and I'll put
myself in communication with young Heigham to-morrow, and tell him
that he can come and marry the girl as soon as he likes. For my part,
I am very glad to have the business settled."

"You ask me to sacrifice half my property," groaned George.

"My property, you mean, that you stole. But I don't ask you to do
anything one way or the other. I am to understand that you refuse my
offer?"

"Give me a minute to think," and George hid his face in his hand, and
Philip, looking at him with hatred gleaming in his dark eyes, muttered
between his teeth,

"I believe that my turn has come at last."

When some thirty seconds had passed in silence, the attention of the
pair was attracted by the cracking of dead leaves that sounded quite
startling in the intense stillness of the night, and next second a
tall figure in white glided up to the water's edge, and stood still
within half a dozen paces of them.

Involuntarily Philip gripped his cousin's arm, but neither of them
moved. The sky had rapidly clouded up, and the faint light that
struggled from the moon only served to show that the figure appeared
to be lifting its arms. In another second that was gone to