room being locked, O'Dell?" She knew her
curiosity was indecent, but some powerful premonition was stirring in
her, and she could not pass on. "Has there been an accident? Who is in
there?"

Then, almost under her feet, she saw a dark pool lying sluggishly
against the tiles; nearer the door another--on the pavement outside
another--and yet another. She gasped, drew back, felt horribly sick;
and, as she turned, she caught O'Dell's muttered aside to the policeman.

"Young lady's 'is seccereterry--must be the last that seen 'im alive.
All told, 'tain't more'n 'arf-an-'our since 'e left. 'Good-night,
O'Dell,' sez 'e. 'Miss Carryll's still working--don't lock 'er in,' sez
'e. Would 'ave 'is joke. Must 'ave gone round the corner an' slap inter
the car. Wish to God the amberlance----"

Her cry cut into his words as she flung herself forward. Her fingers
wrenched at the key of the locked door and turned it, in spite of the
detaining hands that seemed light as leaves upon her shoulder, and as
easily shaken off. Unhearing, unheeding, she forced her way into the
glare of electric light flooding the little room--beating down on to the
table and its sheeted burden. Before she reached it, knowledge had
dropped upon her like a mantle.

Her face was grey as the one from which she drew the merciful coverings,
but her eyes went fearlessly to that which she sought.

Against the rough tweed of the shoulder lay a long, corn-gold hair.

VI

THE GOTH

Young Cargill smiled as Mrs. Lardner finished her account.

"And do you really think that the fact that the poor chap was drowned
had anything to do with it?" he asked. "Why, you admit yourself that he
was known to have been drinking just before he fell out of his boat!"

"You may say what you like," returned his hostess impressively, "but
since first we came to live at Tryn yr Wylfa only four people besides
poor Roberts have defied the Fates, and each of them was drowned within
the year.

"They were all tourists," she added with something suspiciously like
satisfaction.

"I am not a superstitious man myself," supplemented the Major. "But you
can't get away from the facts, you know, Cargill."

Cargill said no more. He perceived that they had lived long enough in
retirement in the little Welsh village to have acquired a pride in its
legend.

The legend and the mountains are the two attractions of Tryn yr
Wylfa--the official guidebook devotes an equal amount of space to e