There was something she was searching for which she did not find. She had only seen it once, and then by chance,--in the present confused whirl of her brain she could not remember landmarks, nor identify localities. But it was there, somewhere,--and she must look, look till she found it. A branch snapped behind, and she spun round, terrified. Who--what was that? The woods were almost silent, birds had ceased to sing, and rabbits were in their holes. After a minute's breathless suspense, she crept on a pace or two, and listened again,--but there was not a rustle, not a sound. She fled onwards. A pile of logs and a rough saw-pit,--yes, yes,--she knew the saw-pit, she had passed the saw-pit that other day, and Val and she had sat upon the logs. Val had kicked about the splinters at his feet, and formed them into heaps. And it was close, close by, that--oh, it was so close that she shivered and trembled, and clung to the edge of the pit as a support, and at last sank upon her knees. But she was not praying--she was not even thinking;--there was nothing more to think about,--she rose and crept down the slope, to where lay a deep, black pool. And out of the pool crawled a toad. Its head came first; the ugly, flat head that, but for its movement, might have been mistaken for a lump of slime,--then one long-jointed, sluggish leg, and then the other, followed by a sudden leap, and a leap, ah! the loathsome thing!--in her direction. Involuntarily she also leaped--backwards. Not there--not just there; she shuddered as the reptile startled in its turn, turned and plunged again into the water, where, no doubt, were others of its kind, many and vile.... The stem of a bulrush shook, suggestive of hideous gambols at its roots.... The whole place looked so foul and evil that a wild desire to flee from it did actually, and as it were involuntarily, drag Leonore's nerveless feet a few yards from the edge--but there she halted, muttering to herself in broken, meaningless utterances. She thought she was goading herself back--back--back;--and she began to go back. * * * * * "Caught you up at last, Leo. What a walker you are! I followed you out, and guessed I should overtake you if I held on," continued the cheerful voice, as Paul tumbled down the bank, slipping and sliding, and steadying himself with his stick till he reached Leo's side. "A bit damp here though, isn't it?" "Go away--go away, Paul." She tried to push him aside, he was between her and the pool. "Sorry. I didn't mean to intrude; but, I say this is just the sort of thing to be very pleasant at the time, but----" "Go--go!" "But it will find out the weak spot afterwards, and then the aches and pains!" "_I_ shall have no aches and pains, and you--you needn't stay. I don't want you, I won't have you;" cried Leo, wildly. "Why did you come? Why did you follow me? Who gave you leave to spy upon me?"