think
it would if the girl is wise. Even now such things do happen, but I
fancy it is time I went back again."

She moved away, but Winston stayed where he was until the lad came in
with a cigar in his hand.

"Hallo, Courthorne!" he said. "Did you notice anybody pass the window
a little while ago?"

"You are the first to come in through it," said Winston dryly. "The
kind of things you wear admit of climbing."

The lad glanced at him with a trace of embarrassment.

"I don't quite understand you, but I meant a man," he said. "He was
walking curiously, as if he was half-asleep, but he slipped round the
corner of the building and I lost him."

Winston laughed. "There's a want of finish in the tale, but you
needn't worry about me. I didn't see a man."

"There is rather less wisdom than usual in your remarks to-night, but I
tell you I saw him," said the lad.

He passed on, and a minute later there was a cry from the inner room.
"It's there again! Can't you see the face at the window?"

Winston was in the larger room next moment, and saw, as a startled girl
had evidently done, a face that showed distorted and white to
ghastliness through the window. He also recognized it, and running
back through the hall was outside in another few seconds. Courthorne
was leaning against one of the casements as though faint with weakness
or pain, and collapsed when Winston dragged him backwards into the
shadow. He had scarcely laid him down when the window was opened, and
Colonel Barrington's shoulders showed black against the light.

"Come outside alone, sir," said Winston.

Barrington did so, and Winston stood so that no light fell on the
pallid face in the grass. "It's a man I have dealings with," he said.
"He has evidently ridden out from the settlement and fallen from his
horse."

"Why should he fall?" asked the Colonel.

Winston laughed. "There is a perfume about him that is tolerably
conclusive. I was, however, on the point of going, and if you will
tell your hired man to get my wagon out, I'll take him away quietly.
You can make light of the affair to the others."

"Yes," said Barrington. "Unless you think the man is hurt, that would
be best, but we'll keep him if you like."

"No, sir. I couldn't trouble you," said Winston hastily. "Men of his
kind are also very hard to kill."

Five minutes later he and the hired man hoisted Courthorne into the
wagon and packed some hay about him, while, soon afte