acity, his irony, his manner, suggestive of insolent triumph.
His muffled voice with its curious foreign accent irritated her, as did
the shadow of his perruque over his brow, and the black silk shade which
he wore over one eye.

Even now in response to her violent outburst he broke into renewed
laughter.

"Better and better! Ah, mistress," he said with a shake of the head, "of
a truth you are more blind than I thought."

"You are more insolent, master, than I had thought possible."

"Yet meseems, fair lady, that in the lonely and mysterious stranger you
might have remembered your humble and devoted servant," he said, drawing
his figure up towards her.

"You! an old friend!" she said contemptuously. "I have ne'er set eyes on
you in my life before."

"To think that the moon should be so treacherous," he rejoined
imperturbably. "Will you not look a little closer, fair mistress, the
shadows are somewhat dark, mayhap."

She felt his one eye fixed upon her with cold intentness, a strange
feeling of superstitious dread suddenly crept over her from head to
foot. Like a bird fascinated by a snake she came a little nearer, down
the steps, towards him, her eyes, too, riveted on his face, that curious
face of his, surrounded by the heavy perruque hiding ears and cheeks,
the mouth overshadowed by the dark mustache, one eye concealed beneath
the black silk shade.

He seemed amused at her terror and as she came nearer to him, he too,
advanced a little until their eyes met--his, mocking, amused, restless;
hers, intent and searching.

Thus they gazed at one another for a few seconds, whilst silence reigned
around and the moon peered down cold and chaste from above, illumining
the old house, the neglected garden, the vast park with its innumerable
dark secrets and the mysteries which it hid.

She was the first to step back, to recoil before the ironical intensity
of that fixed gaze. She felt as if she were in a dream, as if a
nightmare assailed her, which in her wakeful hours would be dissipated
by reason, by common sense, by sound and sober fact.

She even passed her hand across her eyes as if to sweep away from before
her vision, a certain image which fancy had conjured up.

His laugh--strident and mocking--roused her from this dreamlike state.

"I ... I ... do not understand," she murmured.

"Yet it is so simple," he replied, "did you not ask me awhile ago if
nothing could be done?"

"Who ... who are you?" she whis