hadn't either. And the next second he realized what he had done! But
too late. I had my hand on my shooting iron in my pocket after that,
I can tell you! He was spoiling to hit back--he is now--he's not
wasting to-night. But all that matters for the moment is that we've
put a crimp on him and he knows it."

"He may be off before you return to the villa."

"Not he. He's going to see this thing through and finish his job, if
we don't prevent it. And he won't waste any more time either. He's
been playing a game and amusing himself--with us and Albert
yonder--as a cat with a mouse. But he won't play any more. From
to-night he's going for all three of us bald-headed. He's mad with
himself that he was foolish enough to delay. He's a wonder for his
age, Mark; but a man, after all--not a superman."

"What happened exactly, and how does he stand to what he saw?"

"Can't swear, but I figure it like this. I watched very close with
what I call my third eye--a sort of receiver in my brain that soaks
up what a man's thinking and draws it out of him. For the first
moment he was nonplussed, lost his nerve and may even have believed
he saw a spirit. He cried out, 'It's Robert Redmayne !' and
instantly asked me if I'd seen him too. I stared and said I'd seen
nothing at all, and then his manner changed and he laughed it off
and said it was only a shadow cast by the shrine. But, on second
thoughts, he knew mighty well it was no shadow, and presently he
fell a bit silent, thinking hard, while I just chatted about
nothing, as I'd done from the start of our walk. I'd pretended to
take him into my confidence, you see, and I heard from him just