g the dying glow of the sunset.
Suddenly I became aware of a naked boy, a bather from some neighbouring
pool, I took him to be, who was standing out on the bare hillside also
watching the sunset. His pose was so suggestive of some wild faun of
Pagan myth that I instantly wanted to engage him as a model, and in
another moment I think I should have hailed him. But just then the sun
dipped out of view, and all the orange and pink slid out of the
landscape, leaving it cold and grey. And at the same moment an
astounding thing happened--the boy vanished too!"

"What! vanished away into nothing?" asked Van Cheele excitedly.

"No; that is the dreadful part of it," answered the artist; "on the open
hillside where the boy had been standing a second ago, stood a large
wolf, blackish in colour, with gleaming fangs and cruel, yellow eyes.
You may think--"

But Van Cheele did not stop for anything as futile as thought. Already
he was tearing at top speed towards the station. He dismissed the idea
of a telegram. "Gabriel-Ernest is a werewolf" was a hopelessly
inadequate effort at conveying the situation, and his aunt would think it
was a code message to which he had omitted to give her the key. His one
hope was that he might reach home before sundown. The cab which he
chartered at the other end of the railway journey bore him with what
seemed exasperating slowness along the country roads, which were pink and
mauve with the flush of the sinking sun. His aunt was putting away some
unfinished jams and cake when he arrived.

"Where is Gabriel-Ernest?" he almost screamed.

"He is taking the little Toop child home," said his aunt. "It was
getting so late, I thought it wasn't safe to let it go back alone. What
a lovely sunset, isn't it?"

But Van Cheele, although not oblivious of the glow in the western sky,
did not stay to discuss its beauties. At a speed for which he was
scarcely geared he raced along the narrow lane that led to the home of
the Toops. On one side ran the swift current of the mill-stream, on the
other rose the stretch of bare hillside. A dwindling rim of red sun
showed still on the skyline, and the next turning must bring him in view
of the ill-assorted couple he was pursuing. Then the colour went
suddenly out of things, and a grey light settled itself with a quick
shiver over the landscape. Van Cheele heard a shrill wail of fear, and
stopped running.

Nothing was ever seen again of the Toop child or