The Black Patch

-house, had not seen him emerge; nor had Durban, busy in the kitchen, the door of which commanded a view of the postern, beheld his master depart. The telegraph office was at the railway station thr

er sent the tele

not leave the place. No telegram has b

third way

now of, missy

pishly. Durban hastened to the door of the counting-house, and it was opened so that he could speak with his master. But he was not admitted within. Be

idly; "master wishes me to go to town. He is writing a letter

Durban. We

y interrupted. Appearing at the door of his dungeon he waved a letter. "Come

s he had left The Camp by the great gates and was on his way to the railway stat

ing to Durban?" he

replied quietly; "you can surely guess. He

usiness," grumbled the miser, looking ill-

hought not. The question was put in a snarling way

ly, "and perhaps I shall take a walk"

looking up. "Clouds are gathering

ondered if he had missed the key of the smaller gate.

y departure of Durban, the proposal of marriage, all these things hinted--as she thought--at schemes against her peace of mind. And then, again, the words of Vivian Paslow. Those were indeed mysterious, and she was anxious to know what they meant. Finally, the hint that Alpenny had given as to Vivian having committed crimes, alarmed t

ther. But with the visit of Vivian on that afternoon everything had changed, for since he had heard those mysterious words, Alpenny had not been himself. In some queer way he had forwarded a tel

n a flicker of lightning would leap across the sky--summer lightning which portended storm and rain. Beatrice, trying to breathe freely in the suffocating air, wished that the storm would come to clear the atmosphere. There was electricity in the dry air, and she

imb their heights in order to get a breath of fresh air. Here in the hollow, embosomed in woods, she felt stifling; but up there surely a sweet, fresh wind must be blowing, full of moisture from the Channel. Then the thought of a possible walk recalled her to a remembrance of her appointment: she intended to keep it, even though Durban had gone away. The key was in her pocket, and she could slip out of the small gate for an hour, and get back again without Alpenny being any the wiser. Already a light gleamed from the solitary window of the dungeon, as it had gleamed ever since she could remember when the darkness came on. Behind the discolou

ice entered one of the winding paths in the little wood and took her way to the gate. The large gates were l

e would leave behind her not only The Camp, but the old serene life. It was like crossing the Rubicon; but with an impatient ejaculation at her own weakness, she shook herself and passed out, leaving the gate locked behind her. Then she stole t

hich was two miles away. She would meet Vivian, as she now arranged in her own mind, at the Witches' Oak, and would ask for an explanation. When he gave it, she could return rapidly to The Camp escorted by him; then slipping in, she would be able to say good-night to Alpenny at ten o'clock, and go to bed. For a moment, she wondered if Durban would return that night, or stop

passing swiftly, hardly gave the matter a thought, but sped rapidly along under the deep shadows of the trees, and along the white dusty lane, between the wilted hedges, dry with summer heat. A quarter of a mile brought her to a side path, and down this she went calmly, congratulating herself that she had met neither tramp, nor neighbour on the road. The path wound deviously through ancient trees, and at length emerged into a rather large glade in the centre of which was a pond, green with duckweed. Over thi

pping forward, and for the moment it seem

f into those strong arms and be protected for ever from the coming storms of life, but a sense of modesty prevented such speedy surr

because I want to know the meaning of t

they mean," confe

did you

ed a hint

m wh

he Grange, Dinah would have prevented my speaking; and now that Mr. Alpenny is angry with me, I cannot come to The Camp. You must forgive me

could not see his face in the darkness, she guessed from the tones

He came a step near

considering the circumstance, laughed in

hat I meant in my eyes, Beatr

hough it would give Vivian

rstand," she

u must hav

"I saw that you loved me. I also saw that

is now removed, and I can ask you, as I do with all m

believe

he breathed

the r

r--had a mortgage on nearly the whole of my property. I have lately inherited a small sum of money, and went to

u desired to pay

sitated--"I think that he wishes

his r

he burst out into a rage and said that I wanted to rob him. Then

" she asked in

t tell you

ted with the

And what do you kno

e first time to-day, and by you. The effect on Mr. Alpenny wa

on my desk a scrap of paper, and on it was written--or, rather, I should say printed, for th

, bewildered. "Wh

r by his language I used the very words on

the miser had said to her, she grasped her lover's a

ndulged in the usual follies of a young man whose parents di

think he wished to m

raged worse than ever. It was then that he turned me out of his counting-house,

me so to-day

anded Paslow in

ired army officer with a fine fortune,

terwards the strong wind hurtled towards them, bearing on its wings the drenchi

although she was scarcely mistress yet

rst of hysterical tears. Pulling out her handkerchief she pressed it to her e

he key! it has falle

orrents. "I have it!" he said, wondering at this queer disconnected wooing, and rose with

this time. "I must go home at once. It is

o haunt the tree occurred to the mind of Beatrice, and, unstrung, and not mistress of herself, she left the oak and hurried across the glade. The lightning was flashing incessantly, and the thunder roared like artillery, while the steady rain spattered through the trees' tops. Trying to find the path which led to the lane, Beatrice ran on. She fancied she heard the voi

staggered forward blindly through the wood. She could not tell what the hour was, or guess where she was going, but by some miracle she managed to arrive at the lane. Even then, she did not recognise where she was, but ran blindly along in the hope of finding The Camp. There was no sign of Vivian, or of the man who had been watching

slow possessed it, since he had not given it back to her before he ran after the watcher. So how was she to re-enter the jealously-guarded Camp? Alpenny would know

. In a flash of lightning she saw that he was tall, lean, clothed in black, and--the sight made her shriek--over his left eye he wore a Black Patch. Then the darkness closed down and she heard him brush past into gloom, running swiftly out of the gate, which he closed after him. She heard the click,