ked him for
it. After a moment he began to speak, considerately ignoring the other's
attitude.

"She was providentially on the further hill when it happened, and she
had great difficulty in getting round to us; lost her way several times,
poor girl, and only panic-stricken natives to direct her. It's been a
shocking disaster--the native village entirely swept away, though not
many European lives lost, I am glad to say. But Hyde is among the
missing. You knew Hyde?"

"I knew him--well." Baring's words seemed to come with an effort.

"Ah, well, poor fellow; he probably didn't know much about it. Terrible,
a thing of this sort. It's impossible yet to estimate the damage, but
the whole of the lower valley is devastated. The Magician's bungalow has
entirely disappeared, I hear. A good thing the old man was away from
home."

At this point, to Colonel Latimer's relief, Baring turned. He was paler
than usual, but there was no other trace of emotion about him.

"If you will allow me," he said, "I should like to go and speak to her,
too."

"Certainly," the colonel said heartily. "Certainly. Go at once! No doubt
she is expecting you. Tell the youngster I want him out here!"

And Baring went.

* * * * *

If Hope did expect him, she certainly did not anticipate the manner of
his coming. The man who entered the colonel's drawing-room was not the
man who had striven with a mastery that was almost brutal to bring her
into subjection only the day before. She could not have told wherein the
difference lay, but she was keenly aware of its existence. And because
of her knowledge she felt no misgiving, no shadow of fear. She did not
so much as wait for him to come to her. Simply moved by the woman's
instinct that cannot err, she went straight to him, and so into his
arms, clinging to him with a little sobbing laugh, and not speaking at
all, because there were no words that could express what she yet found
it so sublimely easy to tell him. Baring did not speak either, but he
had a different reason for his silence. He only held her closely to him,
till presently, raising her face to his, she understood. And she laughed
again, laughed through tears.

"Weren't you rather quick to give up--hope?" she whispered.

He did not answer her, but she found nothing discouraging in his
silence. Rather, it seemed to inspire her. She slipped her arms round
his neck. Her tears were nearly gone.

"Hope doesn't di