take part in a special feature of _Les Brandons_, and
were inspected curiously by the men present who were to be chosen as
partners by these _faux visages_.

Perrin Corbet moved quietly, almost stealthily, about amongst the
people, evidently intent on finding some particular person. All at
once he stopped close to the huge bonfire, and stared, with knitted
brows, at Dominic Le Mierre, who swaggered in and out amongst the
girls, tapping one on the cheek, chucking another under the chin,
and pulling the long curls of a young creature in her teens. In the
fitful and flickering light, the master of Orvilliere looked like a
sea-king, so stalwart, so wicked, so magnetic. It was quite plain to
Perrin Corbet that he was more than a little the worse for drink;
and he watched him closely, and followed him as near as he dared
without being observed.

At ten o'clock, and at a given signal, the masked girls went up to
the group of men to choose partners. Perrin edged close to Dominic
Le Mierre and scrutinized painfully the girl who laid her hand on
the "jerseyed" arm of the master. She was of middle height and
extremely thin. Her emaciated hand trembled; it looked almost
discoloured in the uncertain light. The border of her face that
could be seen round the mask was ghastly in its whiteness. She wore
a close fitting bonnet which hid all trace of her hair.

With partially glazed eyes, Dominic peered at her.

"You don't look much of a beauty!" he cried, "but I'll soon see who
you are, my girl!"

When the masks had all chosen, a circle was formed round the
bonfire, the men holding their partners tightly by the hand. Faster
and faster flew the circle till the masked faces shewed like a black
band, while the outside throng of people cheered and clapped, and
encouraged the dancers to madder whirling. Then, suddenly, as by one
impulse, the circle was broken up, and a new spectacle was provided
for the onlookers.

Each girl seized her partner by the hand and together they leapt
across the flaming bonfire. Wild excitement was the order of the
night. It was the festival of the rude, primitive elements of human
nature. It was a pageant of black shadow and brilliant light. It
answered to the spirit of the bleak moorland, to the steeps of the
cliffs, to the mystery of the sea.

Only one man in the whole throng was utterly unmoved by the
abandonment around him. Perrin kept his deep set, keen eyes fixed on
Dominic and his partner. He wat