"I have much to say to you, Lionel Dale," answered the old woman, in a voice which had a solemn music, that impressed the hearer in spite of himself; "I have much to say to you, and it will be well for you to mark what I say, and be warned by what I tell you." The rector looked at the speaker earnestly, and yet with a half-contemptuous smile upon his face. She was seated in shadow, and he could only see the glitter of her dark eyes as the fitful light of the fire flashed on them. There was something almost supernatural, it seemed to him, in the brilliancy of those eyes. He laughed at himself for his folly in the next instant. What was this woman but a vulgar impostor, who was doubtless trying to trade upon his fears in some manner or other? "You have come here to give some kind of warning, then?" he said, after a few moments of consideration. "I have--a warning which may save your life--if you hear me patiently, and obey when you have heard." "That is the cant of your class, my good woman; and you can scarcely expect me to listen to that kind of thing. If you come here to me, hoping to delude me by the language with which you tell the country people their fortunes at fairs and races, the sooner you go away the better. I am ready to listen to you patiently: if you need help, I am ready to give it you; but it is time and labour lost to practise gipsy jargon upon me." "I need no help from you," cried the gipsy woman, scornfully; "I tell you again, I come here to serve you." "In what manner can you serve me? Speak out, and speak quickly!" said Lionel; "I must return to my guests almost immediately." "Your guests!" cried the gipsy, with a mocking laugh; "pleasant guests to gather round your hearth at this holy festival-time. Sir Reginald Eversleigh is amongst them, I suppose?" "He is. You know his name very well, it seems." "I do." "Do you know him?" "Do _you_ know him, Lionel Dale?" demanded the old woman with sudden intensity. "I have good reason to know him--he is my first-cousin," answered the rector. "You _have_ good reason to know him--a reason that you are ignorant of. Shall I tell you that reason, Mr. Dale?" "I am ready to hear what you have to say; but I must warn you that I shall be but little affected by it." "Beware how you regard my solemn warning as the raving of a lunatic. It is your life that is at stake, Lionel Dale--your life! The reason you ought to know Reginald Eversleigh is, that in him you have a deadly enemy." "An enemy! My cousin Reginald, a man whom I never injured by deed or word in my life! Has _he_ ever tried to injure me?" "He has." "How?" "He schemed and plotted against you and others before your uncle Sir Oswald's death. His dearest hope was to bring to pass the destruction of the will which left you five thousand a year." "Indeed! You seem familiar with my family history," exclaimed Lionel. "I know the secrets of your family as well as I know those of my own."