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194 on counting on miracles happening. You must go back to England, Anne—and—and marry and be happy."

"With a steady man who'll give me a good home!"

"Better that than—utter disaster."

"And what of you?"

His face grew grim and set.

"I've got my work ready to hand. Don't ask what it is, You can guess, I dare say. But I'll tell you this—I'll clear my name, or die in the attempt, and I'll choke the life out of the damned scoundrel who did his best to murder you the other night."

"We must be fair," I said. "He didn't actually push me over."

"He'd no need to. His plan was cleverer than that. I went up to the path afterwards. Everything looked all right, but by the marks on the ground I saw that the stones which outline the path had been taken up and put down again in a slightly different place. There are tall bushes growing just over the edge. He'd balanced the outside stones on them, so that you'd think you were still on the path when in reality you were stepping into nothingness. God help him if I lay my hands upon him!"

He paused a minute and then said in a totally different tone:

"We've never spoken of these things, Anne, have we? But the time's come. I want you to hear the whole story—from the beginning."

"If it hurts you to go over the past, don't tell me," I said in a low voice.

"But I want you to know. I never thought I should speak of that part of my life to any one. Funny, isn't it, the tricks Fate plays?"

He was silent for a minute or two. The sun had set, and the velvety darkness of the African night was enveloping us like a mantle.