her big eyes searched mine,
"I wonder, little maid, what this big world has in store for you? God
grant that it be nothing but good."

I bent down and kissed her once,--twice,--on those soft and yielding
upturned lips.

With terrifying suddenness, something crashed against my front window
and broken glass clattered on the floor.

A great hand and arm shot through the opening and tore my window blind
in strips from its roller. And then the hand and arm were withdrawn.

In the visual illusion caused by the strong light inside and the deep
darkness without, we saw nothing but that great hand and arm.

I sprang up and rushed to the door, followed by Rita.

There was no sign of any one about. I ran round the house, and scanned
the bushes; I went down on to the beach, then across the bridge over
the creek, but I failed to detect the presence of any man.

I came back to Rita to ease her mind, and found her anxious yet
wonderfully calm.

"George!--you need not tell me,--it was Joe. I know his hand and arm
when I see them. He is up to something.

"Oh! You must be careful. Promise me you will be careful?"

I gave her my word, then I set her in her boat for home, asking her to
wait for a moment until I should return.

Before setting her out on her journey, I wished to make perfectly sure
that there was no one about. I again crossed the creek, past Mary's
house, which was in complete darkness, and down on to her beach.
There, hiding in the shelter of the rocks, was a launch, moored to one
of the rings which Jake had set in at convenient places just for the
purpose it was now being used.

I ran out and examined it. It was Joe Clark's.

So!--I thought,--he is still on this side.

I returned to Rita, wished her good-night and pushed her out on the
water.

I came leisurely up the beach, keeping my eyes well skinned. But,
after a bit, I began to laugh, chiding myself for my childish
precautions.

I went into the kitchen, took an empty bucket in each hand and set out
along the back path for a fresh supply of water for my morning
requirements, to the stream, fifty yards in the wood, where I had
hollowed out a well and boarded it over.

It was dark, gloomy and ghostly in the woods there, for the moon was
stealing fitfully under the clouds and through the tall firs, throwing
strange shadows about.

I had almost reached the well, when I heard a crackling of dead wood to
my right.

A huge, agile-looking fi