. Her eyes softened; her voice almost crooned.

"Us-all is safe--no one comes nigh--it's comfortin' ter tech yo', Zalie,
an' hit is well placed. Through all the years I done wanted to tell yo';
I've said it by yo' grave many's the time, chile----" Becky waited a
moment. She looked cautiously about the sun-lighted place and peered
into the gloom of the forest-edge, then she looked again at Nancy, while
her thin hand pointed to the mound under the tree across the bit of
open. Nancy shuddered.

"What is--that?" she gasped.

"Yo' little grave, Zalie--yo' little bed. I 'tend it loving and proper;
I take a look-in onct so often--but yo' is cute, like yo' was when yo'
stole out in the moonshine to larn. You done got out yo' grave when I
wasn't watching. Come, now, let me put yo' back!"

The old woman turned, and in that instant Nancy fled like a spirit.
Noiselessly, swiftly she disappeared. She heard the crackling voice
behind her:

"Jes' creep back by yourself, eh, Zalie?" And then came the sound of
metal patting down the loose earth on the mound by the solemn trees.

Nancy could never tell what occurred on her descent from Thunder Peak.
When she reached The Gap, she found that her dogs had strayed from her:
they had either dropped behind or run before. She was not exhausted. She
felt strong and calm. The adventure was assuming a thrilling proportion
now she was at a safe distance. But she had no intention of telling
Doris. Oddly enough, she felt the need of keeping it secret. She
shivered as she recalled the touch of the claw-fingers and the sound of
the dry, hard voice. She had a growing sense of uncleanness, now that
the shock was wearing off. It almost seemed that a poison had been left
upon her that was eating its way into depths of her being. She was
afraid that someone would know; she trembled when old Jed remarked:

"Dis yere little ole pup don slink back like he seed a hant and he had
burrs stickin' to his sorry-lookin' hide--seems he was off the scent. No
'count!"

Jed gave the hound a push with his foot, but he had set Nancy's nerves
tingling.

"I lost the scent myself," she said, striving for calmness. And then
relying upon the old man's simplicity she asked, pointing across The
Gap:

"What did you say was the name of that peak, Uncle Jed?" She wanted to
make very sure!

The old man raised his bleary eyes and looked troubled. He was conscious
of something stirring in the dark of his mind.

"Thunder