at he had no moments
to waste in argument. They were far more convincing to him of the true
opinion which le Pere held of him than an hour consumed in apology,
which would have been an hour spent in idleness. He came and knelt
down by the side of the priest, and gazed on the results of his work.
He saw the cold white face of Strangeways with the eyes set wide,
staring upwards at the clouds. Their gaze did not seem to concentrate
as in life, but like that of a well-painted portrait, while the eyes
themselves remained fixed, wandered everywhere. Yet, when he settled
his attention upon them, they seemed to look at him alone as if, since
the lips were silent, they were trying to speak those words which the
body had come to utter; if he turned his head away for a moment and
then looked back, they seemed themselves to have changed their
direction and to be staring again incuriously out on space, having
abandoned hope of delivering their message. And he saw the naked
throat and neck, and the marks where the teeth of the yellow-faced
husky had clashed and met; last of all he saw the silver chain and the
pendant attached, which Pere Antoine had at that moment succeeded in
freeing from the cold clenched hand.

"What have you there?" he asked.

"I don't know yet. Lift up the head, so that we can slip the chain
over and find out."

Granger did as he was bidden; but, as he stooped to his task, he was
horribly conscious that the dead man's eyes were intently fixed upon
him, as if they knew and lived on, though every other part of the
motionless body was dead and ignorant.

"Well, here it is. It's a locket."

Granger started up from the ground trembling. "Pere Antoine, do you
think we ought to look at it?" he said.

"Why not?"

"Look at the eyes of that dead man."

"They seem to me to be saying 'yes.'"

Granger looked again, went near, bent down and looked carefully; then
he turned his head. "You are right," he said; "I also think they are
saying 'yes.'"

The priest put the locket in his hand. "It is for you to open it," he
said.

It was of gold and studded with turquoise, a woman's trinket and
old-fashioned, the chasing being worn flat in places; the silver chain
was common and strong, and had evidently not at first belonged to it,
being of modern manufacture--probably a comparatively recent
purchase. Granger looked it over critically, but could get no hint of
its contents from the outside. On the front was engraved a