"I'll show old Penwynn yet," he said to himself, "that there's money to be made out of the place. Poor old fellow, though, it will be a grievous disappointment to him, and he will feel it deeply." He walked on with his eyes still fixed on the promontory upon which the mine was standing, and so immersed was he in thought that he almost ran up against two people before he saw them. "I beg--" He would have said "your pardon," but the words froze upon his lips, and he went by feeling half stunned; for the couple he had passed were Rhoda Penwynn and Tregenna, the former looking deadly pale as his eyes encountered hers for a moment, the latter calm, self-possessed, and supercilious. Geoffrey could not trust himself to look back, but tore along the cliff path at a tremendous rate, feeling ready at any moment to break into a run, but refraining by an effort. His journey was for the time being forgotten, and he saw nothing but the finale of a life-drama, whose last scene was a wedding, with Rhoda the wife of the man she had formerly rejected, and his heart beat heavily and fast. He was moved more than he thought it possible under the circumstances; and in the hot rage that took possession of him he could find no palliation of Rhoda's conduct. It was evident, he said to himself, that she was engaged to John Tregenna now, and that the last faint hope that, like some tiny spark, he had kept alive was now extinct. "Ah, Trethick! Where are you going?" "Eh? Oh, Lee, is that you?" "Yes; I'm glad to see you. Why don't you come down to me?" "What, for Miss Pavey to look horrors, and want to fumigate the house, after the advent of such a social leper?" he said laughingly. "My dear Trethick, why will you talk like this--and to me?" said the vicar, smiling. "But I am stopping you. Were you going somewhere?" "I? No. Not I. Yes I was, though," he exclaimed. "I am going up to London. I forgot." The vicar looked at him wonderingly, his manner was so strange. "Oh, I'm not going out of my mind, man. It's all right," exclaimed Geoffrey, laughing. The next moment his face became ashy white, and his eyes seemed to dilate as, in the distance, he caught sight of Rhoda and Tregenna coming back into the town. The vicar saw the direction of his gaze, followed it, and sighed, for he had seen the couple together half an hour before. Geoffrey coloured as he saw that the vicar was evidently reading his thoughts, and he said lightly,-- "Yes, I'm off to town for a day or two, but you need not say I'm going. Good-by." He did not pause to shake hands, but strode hastily away, secured his seat upon the coach, and that night was well on his way to Plymouth. Try how he would, he could not shake off the recollection of his meeting with Rhoda.