He heard the bolt drawn inside, and the door was cautiously opened and the old man appeared, looking out at him. He was dressed only in his shirt and trousers, and with his unkempt gray hair tossed about his head looked a stranger, wilder figure even than usual. Seeing the captain, he held the door wider open and beckoned to his visitor to enter. "Come in, come in," he said in a mysterious whisper, "but let no one else come near." He had closed the door by this time and shot the bolt. "You, who love her, have a right to be here; for we work together, you and I, for love of her, don't we?" "Of course," said the captain, looking at him a little uneasily and wondering what he meant. "You are at work late to-night," he added. "Yes, very late, and with strange work." He suddenly caught the captain by the arm and drew nearer to him. "Hush! Do you know that _he_ has come back?" "I don't understand you," said the captain. "Who has come back?" "The man who wronged her, the man they thought was dead. If they had wanted to keep him dead why did they thrust him up there for all men to see? why did they put him there against the sky to laugh at her and mock her and torture her afresh? Listen, and I'll tell you something. Just as I watched for her, night after night, through storm and rain and starlight, till she came to me, so I have watched for him, night after night, through storm and rain, till he has come back too. I tell you they can not kill him; he is here to work harm to her still, to wring fresh tears from her. At night, when all men sleep, he comes down and prowls round here searching for her, waiting for her. I've seen him." The captain shook his hand off half angrily, half fearfully. "What madness is this?" he cried. "The man is dead and can trouble her no more; that is but an image of stone, the work of men's hands. The man lies in his grave, miles away from here." Medmer Theed shook his head obstinately and laughed. "You don't know," he said, "you don't know. My dreams have taught me more than you could learn. Dead or not, I tell you that his spirit has come back, and waits there at night to work fresh evil to her. And that's where my dreams and my love for her shall help me." He laid his hand again on the captain's arm and drew him into the inner room. A bright fire burned in the little grate, and thrust into the very heart of it was a small crucible; the captain, drawing nearer, saw that the handle of an old-fashioned spoon projected above the edge of it. "Why, what are you doing?" he asked.