Page:Blackwood's Magazine volume 137.djvu/817

1885.] ," laughed Kurt. "They will be ashamed to say it; but I bet you, nine to one, they haven't found the place."

"Just what I said," Mr Howard wrathfully exclaimed; "we should have marked half-a-dozen trees at least, to make sure."

Meanwhile from between the trees the figure of a man was beginning to grow distinct, pacing slowly towards them.

"They are taking it easy," said Kurt, with disapproval.

"They?" repeated Mr Howard; "I only see one. Which of them is it? or is it neither?"

Just as he spoke, the approaching man had to cross a strip of moonlight. It was István Tolnay's face on which the moon shone.

"Holloa! what's this?" cried out Mr Howard.

"Did you not find the place?" shouted Kurt.

They shouted loud enough, but István neither hurried his pace nor made any answer to their calls. He came on somewhat laggingly, never raising his eyes from the ground before him. When he had reached them, he looked up at last, and started as if he had not expeicted to see them there.

"Where is Dr Komers?" he asked.

"That is just the question we were going to put to you," laughed Mr Howard.

"He has not come back, then?"

"No; certainly not."

"I thought not," said Tolnay; and he sat down on the trunk as if exhausted, passing his handkerchief over his damp forehead.

"But where is Dr Komers?" repeated Gretchen.

He answered without looking at her: "I did not go with him all the way; he said he would find the place alone. I did not care to go on – I felt giddy."

Every one was a little surprised; but the tone in which he spoke, and the pallor of his face, bore out his words. There was something subdued and exhausted about his manner. Even his eyes seemed to have no light in them. Mr Howard could not entirely suppress a contemptuous snort. It was in his eyes a degrading spectacle to see this wretched young foreigner so entirely knocked up by a day's walk in the mountains.

"You told him about the signal?" asked Gretchen.

Still not looking at her, he answered –

"I told him about the signal."

"And you are sure he understood you?"

"I am sure he understood me."

"Then he will be back directly," said Mr Howard, drawing out his watch with an impatient jerk.

"I hope so," said Gretchen, in a whisper.

Tolnay turned his head and looked at her as she said it, then his glance returned to the ground.

"Ten minutes for shivering he has given himself," said Mr Howard, still watch in hand. "This is getting past a joke; it is a positive want of tact."

"Or of sense of locality," said Kurt. "Most likely he cannot find his way back."

"Of course that is obvious," said Gretchen, somewhat irritably. "What is the use of making such self-evident remarks?"

"Shall I go and look for the Herr Doctor?" volunteered the Bohemian, taking his pipe from his mouth.

"Look here! we have had enough of this sort of thing," objected Mr Howard. "There have been enough cross-purposes this evening without making more. If we begin looking for each other, we shall end by each going home in a different