the door and gazing out into the wet.

'Because they have led you to Arkona on a rainy day?' asked Brosy.

'Because of that and because of heaps of other things,' I said; and
sitting down at a table on which lay a bulky tome with much-thumbed
covers, I began rather impatiently to turn over its pages.

But I had not yet reached the limits of what Fate can and will do to a
harmless woman who only asks to be left unnoticed; for while Brosy and I
were studying this book, which is an ancient visitor's book of 1843 kept
by the landlord's father or grandfather, I forget which, and quite the
best thing Arkona possesses, so that I advise the traveller, whose
welfare I do my best at intervals to promote, not to leave Arkona
without having seen it,--while, I say, we were studying this book,
admiring many of its sketches, laughing over the inevitable ineptitudes
that seem to drop with so surprising a facility from the pens of persons
who inscribe their names, examining with awe the signatures of
celebrated men who came here before they were celebrated,--Bismarck's as
assessor in 1843, Caprivi's as lieutenant, Waldersee's also as
lieutenant, and others of the kind,--while, I repeat, we were
innocently studying this book, Fate was busy tucking up her sleeves
preparing to hit me harder than ever.

'It was not Fate,' interrupted the wise relative before alluded to, as I
sat after my return recounting my adventures and trying to extract
sympathy, 'it was the first consequence of your having meddled. If you
had not----'

Well, well. The great comfort about relatives is that though they may
make what assertions they like you need not and do not believe them; and
it was Fate and nothing but Fate that had dogged me malevolently all
round Ruegen and joined me here at Arkona once more to Mrs.
Harvey-Browne. In she came while we were bending over the book, followed
by the Professor, who walked as a man may walk in a dream, his eyes
fixed on nothing, and asked me without more ado whether I would let her
share my carriage as far as Wiek.

'Then, you see, dear Frau X., I shall get there,' she observed.

'But why do you want to get there?' I asked, absolutely knocked over
this time by the fists of Fate.

'Oh why not? We must go somewhere, and quite the most natural thing to
do is to join forces. You agree, don't you, Brosy dear? The Professor
thinks it an excellent plan, and is charming enough to want to
relinquish his seat to me if you