"Who is it says that thunder is the voice of the Almighty?" he muttered. "It is in the Bible, I believe. It sounds awful enough for anything." Just then a flash of more than usually vivid character lit up the interior of the shelter, and to Mr. Field’s consternation, words of fire appeared to blaze out before his eyes. For a moment, to his excited imagination it seemed like the writing on the wall at Belshazzar’s feast. Could this be the Hand as well as the Voice of God? It was the text which Robin had pinned up inside the hut-- "THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE IN EVERY PLACE, BEHOLDING THE EVIL AND THE GOOD." It came like a message from an unseen Power, an answer to the thoughts which had so lately filled his mind, and the words burnt into his very soul. "In every place--in every place. Beholding the evil--beholding the evil." The sentence echoed through his brain until he could bear it no longer. "Will that verse never cease to haunt me?" he exclaimed. "Is there truly a Witness in Heaven Who sees all--all--and Who can, when He wills, bring even our hidden sins into the light?" He made as though he would leave the hut, when suddenly to his horrified gaze, a second flash revealed a pale emaciated face peering in through the door. With a loud cry, Mr. Field rushed at the opening, and with superhuman strength hurled the apparition from him as he dashed past. A dark form fell heavily into the bushes, but he stayed not to see. Scrambling, falling in the inky blackness, he at last gained the edge of the wood--how, he never knew. Drenched to the skin and with his eyes staring wildly before him, he reached his home. Speechless and trembling, he passed his astonished butler on the stairs, and paused not till he had locked himself into the safety of his own room. There, at length, he was able to regain his composure, and think more calmly of the events of the preceding hour. *CHAPTER XI* *The Treacherous Shore* It was about seven o’clock when a tap came at Mr. Field’s door. "Is that you, Burns?" was the response from within. "I am not feeling very well this evening, so I shall not come downstairs to dinner. You can bring me up something on a tray." "Very good, sir," replied the butler, "but I wanted to ask you about master Julius. He has not been home all day, and we don’t know where he’s gone." "Not been home all day," exclaimed Mr. Field, unlocking the door. "Surely with a houseful of servants you might have looked better after the boy than that." Burns was relieved to find that his master appeared more like himself than when he had last encountered him, though still strangely perturbed, as if he had recently undergone some severe shock.