"He spoilt the whole thing." "What whole thing ?" Valentine asked, sinking down in a chair.
"Well, the sitting.

Perhaps--perhaps one of Marr's mysterious manifestations might have come off to-night." Valentine did not reply at first.

When he did, he startled Julian by saying: "Perhaps one of them did come off." "Did ?" "Yes." "How ?" "What was Rip barking at ?" "There's no accounting for what dogs will do.

They often bark at shadows." "At shadows--yes, exactly.

But what cast a shadow to-night ?" Julian laughed with some apparent uneasiness.
"Perhaps a coming event," he exclaimed.
Valentine looked at him rather gravely.
"That is exactly what I felt," he said.
"Explain.