with meaning. I saw that he
wished me gone, and I moved to go.

"This is Harry's birthday. I am keeping it with him: his birthday as
well as mine, Archibald."

"Gad, I forgot! I'm sorry, aunt--Many happy returns of the day!"

"Thank you," said she drily. "And now if you particularly wish to
speak to me, I will walk with you, but only a short way. Harry shall
find another seat."

As they walked away side by side, I turned my head to look for a
bench farther removed from the bull-ring; and so became aware of
another soldier, in uniform similar to Mr. Archibald's, stretched
prone on the turf a few paces behind me.

When I stood up and turned to have a look at him, his head had
dropped on his arms and he appeared to be sleeping. But I could have
sworn that when I first caught sight of him he had been gazing after
the pair.

Well, there was nothing in this (you will say) to disturb me; yet for
some reason it made me alert, if not uneasy. I chose another seat,
but at no great distance, and kept him in view. He raised his head
once, stared around like one confused and not wholly awake, and
dropped into slumber again. Miss Plinlimmon and Archibald turned and
came pacing back; turned again and repeated this quarter-deck walk
three or four times. He was talking, and now and then using a slight
gesture. I could not see that she responded. At any rate, she did
not turn to him. But the man on the grass occupied most of my
attention, and I missed the parting. An odd fancy took me to watch
if he stirred again while I counted a hundred. He did not, and I
shifted my gaze to find Miss Plinlimmon coming towards me unescorted.
Archibald had disappeared.

Her eyes were red, and her voice trembled a little. "And now," said
she, "that's enough of my affairs, please God!" She began to put
questions about the Trapps. And while I answered them I happened
to look along the flat stretch of turf to the right, in time to see,
at perhaps a hundred yards' distance, a soldier cross it from behind
and go hurrying down the slope towards the bull-ring. I recognised
him at a glance. He was the black-avised man who had pretended to be
sleeping.

Almost at once, as I remember it--but I dare say some minutes had
passed--a furious hubbub arose below us, mixed with the yelling of
dogs and a few sharp screams. And, before we knew what it meant, at
the point where the black-avised man had disappeared, he came
scrambling back, foun