aid no word, he made
no step forward, and yet Catherine felt as if the whole of his being was
calling her, drawing her to him....

Suddenly there rang through the still air a discordant cry: "Catherine!
Catherine!"

Mrs. Nagle sighed, a long convulsive sigh. It was as though a deep pit
had opened between herself and her companion. "That was Charles," she
whispered, "poor Charles calling me. I must not keep him waiting."

"God forgive me," Mottram said huskily, "and bless you, Catherine, for
all your goodness to me." He took her hand in farewell, and she felt the
firm, kind grasp to be that of the kinsman and friend, not that of the
lover.

Then came over her a sense of measureless and most woeful loss. She
realized for the first time all that his going away would mean to
her--of all that it would leave her bereft. He had been the one human
being to whom she had been able to bring herself to speak freely.
Charles had been their common charge, the link as well as the barrier
between them.

"You'll come to-morrow morning?" she said, and she tried to withdraw her
hand from his. His impersonal touch hurt her.

"I'll come to-morrow, and rather early, Catherine. Then I'll be able to
confess before Mass." He was speaking in his usual voice, but he still
held her hand, and she felt his grip on it tightening, bringing welcome
hurt.

"And you'll leave----?"

"For Plymouth to-morrow afternoon," he said briefly. He dropped her
hand, which now felt numbed and maimed, and passed through the gate
without looking back.

She stood a moment watching him as he strode down the field path. It had
suddenly become, from day, night,--high time for Charles to be indoors.

Forgetting to lock the gate, she turned and retraced her steps through
the orchard, and so made her way up to where her husband and the old
priest were standing awaiting her.

As she approached them, she became aware that something going on in the
valley below was absorbing their close attention. She felt glad that
this was so.

"There it is!" cried Charles Nagle angrily. "I told you that they'd
begin their damned practice again to-night!"

Slowly through the stretch of open country which lay spread to their
right, the Bridport Wonder went puffing its way. Lanterns had been hung
in front of the engine, and as it crawled sinuously along it looked like
some huge monster with myriad eyes. As it entered the wood below, the
dark barrel-like body of the engine seeme