ready to jump out of your skin at the sound of a rat."

Stratton shuddered.

"I know you couldn't help it."

"No, but it's going off now fast, and if I could be alone I should soon
be right."

"Doubt it. No good; you must put up with me for a bit."

He tried to look laughingly in his companion's eyes, but there was a
strong feeling of dread at his heart as he felt that wild thoughts
evidently existed in his friend's brain, and that there was some
terrible mischief hatching there.

"Look here, Mal," he said, mastering his own shrinking by remembrance of
how the strong-witted man could often master the brain unhinged; "my
impression is that you want change. Suppose you and I take a run. What
do you say to Switzerland, and start to-day?"

Stratton shuddered, and a curious, sneering smile dawned on his face.

"Why don't you ask me to explain my conduct again?" he said fiercely.

"Because I have no right to. You are your own master, and are
answerable to yourself."

"I'll tell you," continued Stratton, without heeding his visitor's
words, "it is because you think I am mad."

"Do I? Absurd!"

"Yes. That is why you are here."

"I am not going to contradict you; but I will tell you why I am here.
My old friend and companion suddenly turned queer, attacked with some
illness, and I said to myself, `If I were to be bad like that I hope
poor old Mal would come to me as I'm going to him.'"

A hoarse sound, like a suppressed sob, escaped from Stratton's lips,
and, by a rapid movement, he caught and wrung Guest's hand. But the
wild look never left his eyes, and at the end of a few seconds he cast
the hand away.

"Oh, it's true enough, old lad," said Guest, smiling. "You know it,
too. I want to do it for everybody's sake."

Stratton made a peculiar movement in the air with his extended hands.

"Come, come, don't take it that way, old fellow," cried Guest. "Sit
down."

Stratton hesitated, and seemed to be trying to resist, but his friend's
calm firm way mastered him.

"That's better; now, then, let's look matters plainly in the face, as
doctor and patient if you like. You're off the line, Mal. There's no
denying it. Overstrain. Well, it's bad. Painful for you and
everybody."

A low moan escaped from Stratton.

"Bah! don't groan over it, man. The human mind is a wonderful bit of
machinery, and it gets out of order if you don't take care. You haven't
taken enough care, and have broken down. B