"All this, of course, was but dimly apprehended by my mind at the time; but I had sufficient opportunity to muse upon it afterwards. General Burleigh seized my hand, and shook the head of his cane at me. "'Shall be obliged to court-martial you, young man! What have you been doing to my daughter, sir? Why, no one can get a word or a smile out of her, since you came with your tomfooleries! She keeps all her good humour for you, confound you! It's witchcraft--you've bewitched my little girl with your lockets and your necklaces and your tomfooleries! You've bewitched her--and I'll have you court-martialed, and executed for witchcraft, by Jove! Ha, ha, ha! Ha, ha, ha!' And with that he gripped my hand again, and vowing that the club was the only place for him since I had appeared with my tomfooleries and witchcraft, he swung round on his heel and strode away, his broad military shoulders shaking with jollity; and left Edna alone with me--and my rival! "We strolled off along Piccadilly, and I daresay every man we met was envying me from the bottom of his heart. But though her arm was in mine, I knew I might as well have been miles away from her. And we both were reticent of our words on all matters lying near our hearts, as if that third presence had been as palpable and visible as it was otherwise real. We spoke constrainedly and coldly; nay, we even tried not to _think_ of our love or of our misery, lest it might possess power to see our thoughts as well as hear our voices. We walked on, seldom looking at one another, for fear of catching a glimpse of it in each other's eyes. I saw, however, that Edna still wore her locket--indeed, she had told me, the night before, that she would never take it off, until I bade her do so. "'So your father thinks you bewitched, Edna,' I said at length, trying to throw off the incubus a little. "'I am not very well, I think.' "'He seemed to fancy the spell was connected with that old locket,' I continued; my very disinclination to the subject driving me to tamper with it. "'Perhaps it is,' returned Edna listlessly, lifting her hand for a moment to her throat. 'I am not quite used to it yet.' "'To witchcraft, do you mean? You have seen no phantoms, have you?' "I felt her little hand clutch my arm with an involuntary start. I looked down, and she met my eye with a blush, and at the same time with a terrified shrinking expression that was bitter to behold. "'I see nothing with my open eyes,' she said, scarcely above a whisper; 'but at night--I cannot help my dreams; and they follow me into the day.'