earch for it till he found it again, which doubtless sooner or later
he would do."

"Yes, sooner or later. But where? Perhaps you have lost a picture or two
in your time, Mr. Quatermain, and are better able to answer the question
than I am."

There was silence for a few moments, for this talk of lost pictures
brought back memories which choked me.

Then she began to speak again, low, quickly, and with suppressed
passion, but acting wonderfully all the while. Knowing that eyes were on
her, her gestures and the expression of her face were such as might
have been those of any young lady of fashion who was talking of everyday
affairs, such as dancing, or flowers, or jewels. She smiled and even
laughed occasionally. She played with the golden salt-cellar in front
of her and, upsetting a little of the salt, threw it over her left
shoulder, appearing to ask me if I were a victim of that ancient habit,
and so on.

But all the while she was talking deeply of deep things, such as I
should never have thought would pass her mind. This was the substance
of what she said, for I cannot set it all down verbatim; after so many
years my memory fails me.

"I am not like other women. Something moves me to tell you so, something
very real and powerful which pushes me as a strong man might. It is odd,
because I have never spoken to anyone else like that, not to my mother
for instance, or even to Lord Ragnall. They would neither of them
understand, although they would misunderstand differently. My mother
would think I ought to see a doctor--and if you knew that doctor! He,"
and she nodded towards Lord Ragnall, "would think that my engagement had
upset me, or that I had grown rather more religious than I ought to be
at my age, and been reflecting too much--well, on the end of all things.
From a child I have understood that I am a mystery set in the midst of
many other mysteries. It all came to me one night when I was about nine
years old. I seemed to see the past and the future, although I could
grasp neither. Such a long, long past and such an infinite future. I
don't know what I saw, and still see sometimes. It comes in a flash, and
is in a flash forgotten. My mind cannot hold it. It is too big for
my mind; you might as well try to pack Dr. Jeffreys there into this
wineglass. Only two facts remain written on my heart. The first is
that there is trouble ahead of me, curious and unusual trouble; and
the second, that permanently, continua