ody must tell Lucian," she added.

"Do you mean that he expects you?"

"Not at the house. When he came over to say good-by, of course I made up
my mind at once that I should see him again in some way before he
started; so when you had gone out on the barren (as I supposed), I wrote
a note and sent Pablo over with it."

"Oh, Garda! trust a servant--"

"Why, Pablo would let himself be torn to pieces before he would betray a
Duero; I verily believe he thinks he's a Duero himself--a Duero a little
sunburnt! To show you how much confidence I have in him--in the note I
asked Lucian to take this path, and come as far as the pool, where I
would meet him at a certain hour. Then, after it was scaled, I
remembered that I had not said clearly enough which path I meant (there
are three, you know), and so I told Pablo to say to Mr. Spenser that I
meant the eastern one. If I hadn't been afraid he would forget some of
it, I should have trusted the old man with the whole message, and not
taken the trouble to write at all. Well, after the note had gone I went
to sleep. And then, when I woke, it came over me suddenly how much nicer
it would be to see Lucian in the house instead of in the woods--for one
thing, we could have chairs, you know--and so I came over earlier than I
had at first intended, in order to get to Madam Giron's before he would
be starting for the pool. But you have kept me so long that he must be
starting now."

"Let us go home at once," said Margaret.

"No, I can't let him go to the pool, and wait and wait there all for
nothing.--Who's that?" she added, in a startled voice.

They both looked westward. In this direction, the direction of East
Angels, the path's course was straight for a long distance; the wood had
grown dimmer in the slowly fading light, and the figure they now saw at
the far end of this vista, coming towards them, was not yet clearly
outlined; yet they both recognized it.

"Dr. Kirby!" whispered Garda. "He _knows_--he is coming after _me_. He
would never be here at this hour unless it were for that." She seized
Margaret's hands. "Oh, what shall I do? It isn't for myself I care, but
he mustn't meet Lucian."

"Come into the woods. This way." And Margaret hurried her from the path,
in among the trees on the south side of it.

But Garda stopped. "No--that leaves him to meet Lucian. And he _mustn't_
meet Lucian. He _mustn't_ meet Lucian."

From the point in the forest to which Margaret had broug