ill held the pebble, covering and concealing it as he leaned
forward on the ground. He crept a little nearer Lysander.

"The vay they go into the cave," he said, "is wery queer."

"How so?" asked the captain.

They were facing each other. Carl drew still a little nearer, and raised
himself slightly on the hand that grasped the geological specimen.

"I promised to take you in. I vill take you in on vun condition."

"Condition?" repeated Lysander.

"That is vat I said. Vun leetle condition. Let me whishper."

Carl put up his left hand as if to cover the communication he was about
to breathe into Lysander's ear.

"The condition--IS THIS!"

As he uttered the last words, he seized Lysander's wrist with his left
hand, and at the same instant, with a stroke rapid as lightning, smote
him on the temple with the stone.

All this, being interpreted, meant, "I take you to the cave on condition
that you go as my prisoner." Thus Carl designed to keep his promise.

As he struck he sprang up, to be ready for any emergency. He had
expected a struggle, an outcry. He never dreamed that he could strike a
man dead with a single blow!

Without a shriek, without even a moan, Lysander merely sunk back upon
the ground, gasped, shuddered, and lay still.

Carl was stupefied. He looked at the prostrate man. Then he cast his eye
all around him on the moonlit mountain slope. No one was in sight. Was
this murder he had committed? He knelt down, bending over the horribly
motionless form. He gazed on the ghastly-pale face, and saw issuing from
the nostrils a dark stream. It was blood.

Was it not all a dream? He still held the stone in his hand. He looked
at it, and mechanically placed it in his pocket. Nothing now seemed left
for him but to escape to the cave; and yet he remained fixed with horror
to the spot, regarding what he had done.

XXXVII.

_CARL KEEPS HIS ENGAGEMENT._

Of the two forms that had been seen on the ledge, the female was not
Virginia, and the other was not Penn. A word of explanation is
necessary.

Filled with hatred for her husband,--filled with shame and disgust, too,
on hearing how he had caused his own mother to be whipped (for the
secret was out, thanks to Aunt Deb at the stove-pipe hole),--resolved in
her soul never to forgive him, never even to see him again if she could
help it, yet intolerably wretched in her loneliness,--Salina had that
afternoon taken Toby into her counsel.

"Toby, what ar