Evening star., 1913-02-14
CHAPTER XXI-Continued.

and his soft. felt hat on his head, and
| made for the village. where he hoped to
| find, in the Jura Arms. local poacher
| who would undertake an errand out ITO
| the steamer.
| He found his man at the inn and his
| credit there enabled him to drive speedy
| bargain. 1t also helped him to pass the
| time contentedly enough till the fishing
| boat returned from it's wet trip with word
| for the public that the strange steamer
| had put into the Ioch on account of an
accident in her engine room which would
delay her there for little. although she
would need no help from the village: and
with a hasty private note from the chief
engineer for Capt. Dove-tO the effect that
Mr.. Brasse refused to come ashore.
Course him.. snarled Capt. Dove. as
his messenger retired to the bar again.
Il suppose he's afraid of the police
though there isn't a policeman within
thirty miles, and, even if there were. 1t
wouldn't matter very much And he
sat down to compose another and still
more peremptory note, bidding Brasse
obey his lawful commands or take the
consequences of disobedience.
He would have put off to the steamer
himself but for the obvious reasons
messenger to make the trip again after
dark. he had to promise the man twice
as much as for the first run. still out
standing.
When be finally emerged from the inn.
i'm no very pleasant temper. he caught
sight first. of the weekly steamer. al
ready half way up the loch. inward
bound. and then of Sallie at a bend of
the road in the distance. on her way
back to the castle from the village.
There was some one with her. 1t was
CartheW.
Capt Dove became still more incensed.
and. his mind good deal infiamed by his
recent potations, set off up the hill in pur-
suit of them. breathing noisily not even
pausing to scow at the children who
scurried indoors as he passed with the
skirts of his long, black coat streaming
out behind him.
the factor had formally appointed the
young American his deputy until he
should be able to undertake his own du-
ties again. And. in spite of all Slyne and
he could say to Saile, she had obstinate
ly refused to assist in getting rid of
Carthew He had heard from Slyne that
Carthew was making far too many occa-
sions for seeing her, and when he had
cautioned Sallie on that score she had
shown no disposition at all to take his
advice.
1--WE warned her often enough. he NUT
tered, with steadily rising wrath. ito quit
monkeying with that fellow. And she'll
get right out of hand now. unless | let
ner see. once ana 1OT all. VINO SoulS W
be master here He's got to go. That's
all there is to it. l can't afford to have
him hanging around here any longer
The couple in front seemed to be in no
hurry, however. He had almost over
taken them before he paused at a hazel
clump to cut himself a stout cudgeI. BY
the time he had got that trimmed to his
taste they had almost reached the castle.
I'll wait till she's gone in.' said Capt.
Dove to himself. He had noticed that
woodman's AK. But that did not daunt
him at all in his purpose. He had lin
gered along the edge of an alder thicket
until at length Sallie shook hands in very
friendly fashion with the young Ameri-
can and went her own way. while Car
thew took to a trail through the woods
and made off at round pace. notwith-
standing his limp, ak on shoulder whis-
tling blithey.
The path he was following wound In
and out among plantations of pine and
great groves Of gray, leaf1eSS bfrches, un-
til, at a distance Of half a mile. it found
the clear edge Of the cliffs, overlooking
the circular inlet which forms the head
Of the loch. and. finally faded away at the
marge of a smooth plateau of bare rock
inclosed on three sides by a thick tangle
Of woodland and rank underground.
Capt. Dove stalked him with all pre-
caution. stepping from stone to stone
among the wet snow, which was rapidly
melting, so that he might leave no trace
able footprints on the soft. spOngy soil
or damp, dead leaves. And once. when
Carthew halted to light pipe, the old
man. with murder in his mind, dropped
into cover behind a moSs-grOwn bowlder
at side of the path-because that
would have been a most unadviSable spot
at which to attack man armed with an
AK. Then. as Carthew moved on. he once
more took up the pursuit. through the
clumps of bramble and bracken between
the dark trunks of the frs about him.
Carthew stepped unconcernedly out of
the dusk of the woods into the open space
at the end of the path, and stopped there,
AK shoulder. to look about him. But
Capt. Dove did not Immediately spring
upon him, as he had been minded to do.
for he had just observed. at a corner of
the convenient plateau. round hut, stone
built and rooted with heather, which
might or might not be inhabited. Capt.
Dove wormed his way round toward ii,
within the thicket.
The windows of the hut were shuttered
ard it's door padlocked on the outside
| squint across at Carthew from behind Il
bush and Judge his distance, but still de-
layed his attack.
Carthew seemed to have seen something
| of interest in the dark wood behind Capt.
Dove, and Capt Dove looked round in in
slant alarm. 1t would have been most
unpleasant to find that he himself was
| being spied upon. There was some one
or SON1eCn1nS, d tdiI, white S1IdQOW, very
| dimly discernible moving among the
| gloom.
A sudden and most unusual sensation
| of panic seized Capt Dove. The mex
plicable shape was fitting soundleSsly
| toward him. He felt thankful that Car
thew was there behind him. alive and
well, for company. But when he rose up
right and glanced swiftly over one shoul-
| der the plateau was empty. Carthew had
| gone.
The evening was drawing in and even
| the pathway by which they had come
| there was growing dim as. the light slow
| ly failed. Capt. Dove made a blind das.;
| for it across the open space. and so fled
| headiong, in fear.
| He only once looked back, and then he
| saw the shadow again. 1t was following
| him. And he did not stop running till he
| reached the drawbridge Of the castle
| But there he halted. painting. to swear al
| himself for superstitiOus old FOOL and
| stare back into the woods with eyes in
which terror was mingled with rage.
| Some stray cow-or, maybe. stag.
| he declared to himself. If l had had a
| shotgun handy-or even my revolver
| But, stare as he would, he could see
| nothing more of the creature. And ne
went in through the postern. still swear
| ing under his breath.
| He had never felt quite at his ease in
| the great main hall of the castle, which
| with it's empty suits of mail in all sorts
of unexpected corners. the flags overhead
| Tapping soundlessy in every draught. the
| pale faces peerinS down from their dark
| frames in the gallery, possessed an I'M
canny atmosphere of its own, especially
h.,I IttSl