something behind him-looking as they had looked in the garden at Windygates.

Before he could speak, he felt the flash of her For the third time, she had seen

eyes in his eyes.

the Apparition behind him. The homicidal frenzy

possessed her. She flew at

beast. The feeble old

athlete !

his throat like a wild

woman attacked the

He dropped the pillow, and lifted his terrible right arm to brush her from him, as he might have brushed an insect from him.

Even as he raised the arm, a frightful distortion seized on his face. As if with an invisible hand, it dragged down the brow and the eyelid, on the right; it dragged down the mouth, on the same side. His arm fell helpless; his whole body, on the side under the arm, gave way. He dropped on the floor like a man shot dead.

Hester Dethridge pounced on his prostrate body -knelt on his broad chest-and fastened her ten fingers on his throat.

The shock of the fall woke Anne on the instant. She started up-looked round-and saw a gap in the wall at the head of her bed, and the candlelight glimmering in the next room. Panic-stricken; doubting, for the moment, if she were in her right mind, she drew back, waiting-listening-looking. She saw nothing but the glimmering light in the

room; she heard nothing but a hoarse gasping, as of some person labouring for breath. The sound

ceased. There was an interval of silence. Then the head of Hester Dethridge rose slowly into sight through the gap in the wall-rose with the glittering light of madness in the eyes; and looked at her. She flew to the open window, and screamed for help.

Sir Patrick's voice answered her, from the road in front of the cottage.

"Wait for me, for God's sake!" she cried.

She fled from the room, and rushed down the stairs. In another moment, she had opened the door, and was out in the front garden.

As she ran to the gate, she heard the voice of a strange man on the other side of it. Sir Patrick called to her encouragingly. "The policeman is with us," he said. "He patrols the garden at night he has a key." As he spoke, the gate was opened from the outside. Arnold, and the policeman.

She saw Sir Patrick,
She staggered towards

them as they came in—she was just able to say, "Upstairs!" before her senses failed her. Sir Patrick saved her from falling. He placed her on the bench in the garden, and waited by her, while Arnold and the policeman hurried into the cottage. "Where first ?" asked Arnold.

"The room the lady called from," said the policeman.

They mounted the stairs, and entered Anne's room. The gap in the wall was instantly observed by both of them. They looked through it.

Geoffrey Delamayn's dead body lay on the floor. Hester Dethridge was kneeling at his head, praying.

Epilogue.

A MORNING CALL.

I.

HE newspapers have announced the return of Lord and Lady Holchester to their residence in London, after an absence on the Continent of more than six months.

All day long,

It is the height of the season. within the canonical hours, the door of Holchester House is perpetually opening to receive visitors. The vast majority leave their cards, and go away again. Certain privileged individuals only, get out of their carriages, and enter the house.

Among these last, arriving at an earlier hour than is customary, is a person of distinction who is positively bent on seeing either the master or the mistress of the house, and who will take no denial. While this person is parleying with the chief of the servants, Lord Holchester, passing from one room

hall.

to another, happens to cross the inner end of the The person instantly darts at him with a cry of "Dear Lord Holchester!" Julius turns, and sees -Lady Lundie!

He is fairly caught, and he gives way with his best grace. As he opens the door of the nearest room for her ladyship, he furtively consults his watch, and says in his inmost soul, "How am I to get rid of her before the others come ?"

Lady Lundie settles down on a sofa in a whirlwind of silk and lace, and becomes, in her own majestic way, "perfectly charming." She makes the most affectionate inquiries about Lady Holchester, about the Dowager Lady Holchester, about Julius himself. Where have they been? what have they seen? have time and change helped them to recover the shock of that dreadful event, to which Lady Lundie dare not more particularly allude? Julius answers resignedly, and a little absently. He makes polite inquiries, on his side, as to her ladyship's plans and proceedings—with a mind uneasily conscious of the inexorable lapse of time, and of certain probabilities which that lapse may bring with it. Lady Lundie has very little to say about herself. She is only in town for a few weeks. Her life is a life of retirement. "My modest round of duties at Windygates, Lord Holchester; оссаsionally relieved, when my mind is overworked, by the society of a few earnest friends whose views