h which he repelled it.

Less convinced than before, Alix then exclaimed: "Look here, Dick! If,
as you say, the young woman passed this way, she must have left tracks
on the smooth sand. Where do you say the place was?"

With some uncertainty, Dick then led her to what he took to be the
place. No tracks were there. He then tried further back from the mouth
of the tunnel, and with as little success. It was true the tide was
coming up, but it could scarcely yet have reached footmarks which had
been imprinted so far inshore as he supposed these to have been.

In a spirit of levity which jarred on him, Alix now recommended her
lover to go back to his quarters and have a good sleep; and then, having
again passed through the gate and pushed their way up the tunnel, the
two young people parted in something very like a tiff.

Dick did not call at Clyffe House the next day, and when he called on
the day following, Alix met him in a complaisant mood. After all, she
had no wish to quarrel with him. And very soon she said, "Going back to
what you told me you had seen the other night, Dick, it occurred to me,
after you were gone, that it fits in rather curiously with an old story
connected with this place." And then, at his request, she proceeded to
tell him how, some thirty years ago, her grandmother had had a favourite
maid, a friendless orphan girl named Barbara, to whom attached a
mystery. Barbara was a very lovely creature of refinement and education
above her station, and she had of course numerous admirers. Young as she
was, her discretion was faultless, with the sole exception that her
native amiability and desire to please sometimes betrayed her into
conduct which meant less than her admirers wished to think it did. Well,
at last Barbara became plighted to a respectable young fisherman,
part-owner of a boat sailing from The Greenses, and, though details were
vague, it was generally understood that, as a consequence, several
hearts were severely damaged. As Barbara had no relatives, it was
arranged by her employer that she should remain in her situation until
the wedding-day and should be married from Clyffe House. Considerable
preparations had also been made to do honour to the occasion,
when--judge of the consternation of the inmates of the house!--upon the
morning of the wedding-day Barbara was not to be found. She was believed
to have retired to rest on the previous night as usual, yet her bed had
not been slept in. N