Year: 1878

1t was very foolish compact TO make,
but both Osric and were at an age when
foolish things are often done. Neither of
us was turned twenty-one. We were, in
fact, nothing more than couple OF boys.
however much we might choose to fancy
ourselves. men of the world. My career
in lille was already decided upon. had
selected to become an artist and to earn
my bread by means of nv brush and
palette. | attended the Life School assid-
uously and had already exhibited at one
or two of the minor galleries. had q
couple Of rooms on Il third floor IN Bloom
bury. and my particular chum, Osric I'm
ray, had the two Immediately below mine.
1t was not part of the town that his own
tastes would have led him to live in. He
had simply pitched his tent in that psrtic-
ular spot in order that he might be near
me. although was nothing but poor
painter. while he was the son of rich
banker and would in all probability one
dav be rich banker himself.


But that was point on which Osric as
yet could not make up his mind. He
hated the name of banker, and at present
was coquetting with the law, as be had
already coquetted with literature and the
arts generally, only to discover, after .
greater or less loss of time and labor, that
he had no real liking for any Of them.
HIS father, wise In his generation. did no
more than urge him gently. as one might
coax an obstinate but high spirited horse
towards the path he would have him fol-
low. Mr.. Imray, senior, probably Judged
that when Osric should have had "his
fling" and, after having tried half dozen
| things. have thrown each Of them up in
turn, he would settle quietly down into
the groove arranged for him by parental
foresight. And the result proved the ac-
curacy of his calculations.


| Meanwhile Osric had plenty of pocket
money and very little to do, bis legal
studies being hardly more than Q PLEASANT
fiction, at which he was as ready TO laugh
AS heartily as any one. Our evenings
were nearly always spent in his rooms or
mine, and many were the wordy argu-
ments. permeated through and through
with tobacco smoke, in which we indulged
on such occasions. On one particular
winter evening. after befogging ourselves
for couple of hours with some of the
super-subtleties of German metaphysics,
our talk wandered away into another
channel, and fell upon ghosts, appari-
tions, cases of second sight and such like
matters. till at length We SO worked our
selves up that louder rattle of wind in
the chimney than usual made both of Us
start in our seats and stare at each other
with frightened eyes. .,, ........


1t was on this evening that the COM
pact, which have already designated as
foolish one, was made between Osric
and myself. We agreed that whichever
of US died first should Gf it were permit
ted by the Unseen Power that rules the
destinies of men) appear to the survivor
and warn him of the event that had taken
| place. We were very much 10 earnest in
the matter, and as = proof Of our deter
mnation to carry out the agreement-if
permitted to do so-we then and there
made an exchange of rings. l think we
we're both little bit ashamed of our folly
next morning, and the topic WIS hardly
| ever alluded to again between us.


But when, some TOUR months later, Orsie
and | shook hands and said good-bye,
knowing well we should not see each
other for long time to come, his last
words TO me were, You have not forgot
ten our coDpactP'' and mine An assurance
that there was no likelihood of my doing
so. Osric was called to Scotland by the
failing health of his father, and week af-
terward started for Italy. and did not
again set foot in England for q couple of
years. sss


Ten years came and went, during which
only saw Osric some dozen times in all
and that was when he came to London on
business. He had long ago settled down
into steady plodding banker, and was all
that bis father could desire him to be.
Sometimes when he came south was in
Cumberland or Wales, and at other
times he had not even an hour to spare, 50
that our meetings were necessarily infre-
quent. But with the grip of each Others s
hand the old spirit of good fellowship came
back on the instant-we were nineteen
again. with the world all before US, and
for the time being the years that had part
ed us seemed to have no more substance
than dream.


October was here-October in Lakeland,
bringing with it change of weather that
sent such brethren of the bush As, like
late swallows, still fingered, flying south
ward as fast as steam could lend them
wings. |, too, was one of the fugitives.
but l took my flight by easy stages, stop
ping for a night wherever whim or fancy
dictated and then forward again next
morning On certain chill afternoon l
l1OunQ Wystil dt quaiut oiu uOSti0Iy Ou
the banks of the Dove. / was charmed
with the appearance of the place. and de-
cided to take up my quarters in II for the
night. Supper, and then to bed, at the
early hour of ten. pleasantly tired. but not
so much so as to cause me to omit my
favorite habit of reading mself to sleep. /
put the candle on little table close to the
head of my bed, but well out of the way
of the curtains.


After half an hour with my well-loved
Ella l dropped quietly of. leaving the
candle-a long one-still burning, . prac-
tice | generally adopt when sleeping iu
strange places. After sleeping for some
time | awoke suddenly and completely,
with a vivid sense upon me of not being
alone in the room. Iopened my eyes and
stared round, but without lifting my head
from the pillow. Sometimes on waking
up in a strange room it has taken me 8
moment or two to recollect where was
but in this case l recognized the room and