herman's boy in the Hebrides, I hadn't
a dry thread on me for weeks together."

"But you're not in the Hebrides now," persisted Allan; "and I expect our
friends from the cottage to-morrow evening. You can't start till after
to-morrow. Miss Gwilt is going to give us some more music, and you know
you like Miss Gwilt's playing."

Midwinter turned aside to buckle the straps of his knapsack. "Give me
another chance of hearing Miss Gwilt when I come back," he said, with
his head down, and his fingers busy at the straps.

"You have one fault, my dear fellow, and it grows on you," remonstrated
Allan; "when you have once taken a thing into our head, you're the most
obstinate man alive. There's no persuading you to listen to reason. If
you _will_ go," added Allan, suddenly rising, as Midwinter took up his
hat and stick in silence, "I have half a mind to go with you, and try a
little roughing it too!"

"Go with _me_!" repeated Midwinter, with a momentary bitterness in his
tone, "and leave Miss Gwilt!"

Allan sat down again, and admitted the force of the objection in
significant silence. Without a word more on his side, Midwinter held
out his hand to take leave. They were both deeply moved, and each was
anxious to hide his agitation from the other. Allan took the last
refuge which his friend's firmness left to him: he tried to lighten the
farewell moment by a joke.

"I'll tell you what," he said, "I begin to doubt if you're quite cured
yet of your belief in the Dream. I suspect you're running away from me,
after all!"

Midwinter looked at him, uncertain whether he was in jest or earnest.
"What do you mean?" he asked.

"What did you tell me," retorted Allan, "when you took me in here the
other day, and made a clean breast of it? What did you say about this
room, and the second vision of the dream? By Jupiter!" he exclaimed,
starting to his feet once more, "now I look again, here _is_ the Second
Vision! There's the rain pattering against the window--there's the lawn
and the garden outside--here am I where I stood in the Dream--and there
are you where the Shadow stood. The whole scene complete, out-of-doors
and in; and _I've_ discovered it this time!"

A moment's life stirred again in the dead remains of Midwinter's
superstition. His color changed, and he eagerly, almost fiercely,
disputed Allan's conclusion.

"No!" he said, pointing to the little marble figure on the bracket, "the
scene is _not_ complete--you have forgot