or behind them, and left Granger
alone with his wife. In five minutes the door opened and he joined
them. His face was grey and tremulous, but his lips were steady and
smiling. "Large enough to crucify us all," murmured Antoine when he
saw him. Granger knew what he meant--that he was referring to Keewatin
and to his sacrifice. He shook his head at him; he was not thinking of
that. He was thinking of Spurling's shadow, made prisoner by its own
hatred, chained behind the woman weeping in the shack, and of how he
had cheated it of its pitiful revenge. But it was not yet too late for
one of his companions, or even Peggy herself, to betray his secret. He
would not feel that she was safe until Murder Point had been lost to
sight. Stepping briskly over to Shattuck he inquired, "Any need of
handcuffs to-night, Sergeant?"

"Not if you pledge me your word," he replied: but he spoke
absent-mindedly, taking no steps toward departure. Granger grew
impatient; every moment thus wasted might lose him his chance of
making a decent exit from life. He had sought for so many things which
he had not found, that he was now frenziedly covetous of attaining
this last success.

"Sergeant, you remember your promise to me that . . ."

Before he had finished his sentence, Shattuck broke in on him
excitedly, exclaiming, "By God, but it's you that it's wanting. Look,
over there, down-river to the northeast."

Turning quickly about to the direction indicated, his eyes fell upon
the bend. There, standing a short way out from the bank on the ice, so
that he could see it clearly, was the figure of a man, _with the
moonlight streaming through him_. Granger recognised him by his
tallness and uprightness. He was waving to him, seeing which he waved
back. As though he had been waiting for that permission, he began to
move up-river with incredible swiftness towards the Point. Having come
within hailing distance he halted, and putting his hands to his mouth
shouted, "Be brave! Be brave! It is only death."

Had Strangeways stepped out from his grave to taunt him with the
futility of his own words, which had been spoken to comfort him in his
distress? The apparition was growing vaguer. Just before it vanished,
it cried again and waved its hand, "Jesus of Galilee! Jesus Christ!"

The sound reached him faintly as a whisper. He thought that his own
memory must have spoken till, turning round and scanning the other
men's faces, he saw that they also had hear