and went to the doctor's to dinner. In one respect,
Fortune favored my audacity. It was the sultriest day of the whole
season--surely they could not think of shutting up the second-floor back
windows to-night!

Alicia was pale and silent. The lovely brown eyes, when they looked
at me, said as plainly as in words, "We have been crying a great deal,
Frank, since we saw you last." The little white fingers gave mine a
significant squeeze--and that was all the reference that passed between
us to what happened in the morning. She sat through the dinner bravely;
but, when the dessert came, left us for the night, with a few shy,
hurried words about the excessive heat of the weather being too much
for her. I rose to open the door, and exchanged a last meaning look with
her, as she bowed and went by me. Little did I think that I should have
to live upon nothing but the remembrance of that look for many weary
days that were yet to come.

The doctor was in excellent spirits, and almost oppressively hospitable.
We sat sociably chatting over our claret till past eight o'clock. Then
my host turned to his desk to write a letter before the post want out;
and I strolled away to smoke a cigar in the garden.

Second-floor back windows all open, atmosphere as sultry as ever,
gardener's pruning-ladder quite safe in the tool-shed, savage mastiff
in his kennel crunching his bones for supper. Good. The dog will not be
visited again tonight: I may throw my medicated bit of beef at once into
his kennel. I acted on the idea immediately; the dog seized his piece of
beef; I heard a snap, a wheeze, a choke, and a groan--and there was the
mastiff disposed of, inside the kennel, where nobody could find out that
he was dead till the time came for feeding him the next morning.

I went back to the doctor; we had a social glass of cold
brandy-and-water together; I lighted another cigar, and took my leave.
My host being too respectable a man not to keep early country hours, I
went away, as usual, about ten. The mysterious man-servant locked the
gate behind me. I sauntered on the road back to Barkingham for about
five minutes, then struck off sharp for the plantation, lighted
my lantern with the help of my cigar and a brimstone match of that
barbarous period, shut down the slide again, and made for the garden
wall.

It was formidably high, and garnished horribly with broken bottles;
but it was also old, and when I came to pick at the mortar with my
scr