tegy. He laid several
plans, but each time they were frustrated by some unexpected act of
Halloran's.

Meanwhile the latter was pondering over his case, considerably
mystified.

"Confound the fellow! he does not seem to grow either pale or
emaciated," he muttered. "I could almost say that starving seems to
agree with him. I am quite tempted to give him his quietus and end this
vigil. Remaining in this solitary hut does not quite come up to my
liking. I wonder what Kendale is doing. He promised to let me know how
he got on.

"I have not heard from him for nearly a week now. Perhaps they made the
discovery that he was not the real Lester Armstrong, and have placed him
in limbo; but it strikes me that in such a predicament he would hasten
to communicate with me, apprising me of the fact.

"Then, again," he ruminated, "Kendale is thoroughly selfish to the
backbone, and if he has successfully hoodwinked these people and is
living off the fat of the land and rolling in money, as it were, ten
chances to one he has quite forgotten my very existence.

"He ought to have sent me more provisions to-day, and more tobacco; and
it is nightfall and no sign of any one."

The next day and the next passed in the same fashion.

By this time Halloran had become thoroughly exasperated.

"This settles the bill," he muttered; "I leave this place to-night. I do
not see much need of staying here any longer, anyhow. Armstrong will not
last many hours longer; he couldn't; it's beyond human physical
possibility."

In the semi-twilight he looked in at his prisoner.

Lester had fallen into so deep a sleep that he seemed scarcely to
breathe, and the dim, fading light falling in through the chinks of the
boarded window gave his face, which was beginning to grow pale because
of his confinement, an unusually grayish pallor at this twilight hour.

"Ha! ha!" muttered Halloran, setting his teeth hard together; "it is
perfectly safe to leave him now. He is dying; his hour has come at
last."

Turning on his heel he strode into the outer apartment, banging the door
to after him, but not taking the trouble to lock it on this occasion.

"As there seems to be little need of my remaining here longer, now that
he is done for, I'm off for the city," he muttered; "and a pretty tramp
I'll have of it over this barren country road, fully seven miles to the
railway station, and hungry as a bear at that."

Again he looked at Lester, to assure himself bey