ed the careless sailor. "Either a bereaved cow or
a curlew suffering from nightmare. Sit down again, Pussy; it was nothing
to worry about."

"It struck me as being distinctly human," said Enid doubtfully, but she
swung herself back into the tree, willing to be convinced that there was
nothing wrong, rather than terminate a _tete-a-tete_ that was rapidly
gliding into a flirtation. Another pleasant quarter of an hour slipped
by, and then at the beats of a distant clock in the town striking
half-past ten she dropped from her perch.

"I must be getting back, or father will be wondering what has become of
me," she said as she made for the entrance of their lair.

Reggie's detaining hand fell on her arm.

"Half a second," he said. "There is some one coming along the path--one
of those chaps who went by returning, perhaps. Better let him get ahead,
whoever he is, before we break cover. We don't want company on our way
back."

So they waited in the shadows, listening to the oncoming footsteps till
the man who caused them was nearly opposite their hiding-place in the
little glade. His identity was nothing to them; they had no thought but
to enjoy their homeward stroll without having to tread too closely on
the heels of any inconvenient outsider.

And then, suddenly, far out at sea a great shaft of light shot skyward,
and, after steadying itself in a perpendicular gleam, swooped down upon
the marsh, moving to and fro across the broad expanse, prying out its
secret places and showing up each reed and sedge in an electric glare,
that was twice as effective as lightning because it dwelt longer on its
objectives. At first the radiant tongue played on the opposite side of
the marsh, then it flickered on the central wastes, and finally darted
on to the path close to Reggie and Enid just as the man they had heard
advancing passed by.

Unseen themselves in the thicket, they had a clear view of him as he
strode along the path, for, the latter being raised several feet above
their level, his face was silhouetted against the dark sky beyond the
electric beam. Their glimpse was only momentary, because as though
dazzled, he raised his hand to his eyes, and altogether he was not ten
seconds within the range of their vision, but it lasted long enough to
enable Enid to whisper her companion--

"That was Mr. Chermside, the young officer from India who has been
staying down here for the last month. He's supposed to be awfully gone
on Vio