"Might come," replied Lovel. "I don't think she anticipated any evil, but simply tried to put me off the meeting with words of warning. Well, Mexton, of course I did not believe in the nonsense she talked, and laughed at her; whereat she left me in anger, and swore that I should have reason to remember her prophecy. God knows I have now!" added the young man, bitterly. "H'm!" said Paul, thoughtfully. "Do you believe in palmistry, Lovel?" "No," said the other, promptly; "in spite of my gipsy blood, I am no believer in the influence of star, or cards, or lines on the palm. Yet, in Milly's case, it is very strange that Gran Jimboy's prognostication of evil should come to pass." "Bah! In my opinion she contributed to the fulfillment of her own prophecy." "Mexton! surely you don't believe that a feeble old woman like gran killed Milly?" "No, I do not," replied Paul, decisively; "but I believe that she brought about the death by her arts. Tell me when it was you saw her?" "About three o'clock in the afternoon." "Very good; then you told her of your intended meeting with Milly? No one else knew of that." "No," said Lovel, thoughtfully. "I told only Gran Jimboy; but Milly might have informed her sister." "That is improbable," said Paul, drily. "Milly knew well enough that her sister Iris did not approve of her flirtation with you, and assuredly would have stopped the meeting had she known of it. Or would have formed an inconvenient third at such a meeting," concluded Paul. "Well, well," cried Lovel, impatiently, "assuming that my grandmother was the only person who knew that I was to meet Milly on that Sunday night--what then?" "Simply this: that I firmly believe Gran Jimboy wrote the letter which brought Herne down to witness your meeting." Lovel started from his seat in surprise. "How do you know Herne was there? I did not tell you that." "No; but I know. You are aware that he saw your meeting." "Yes; I saw him." "You--saw--him!" repeated Paul, slowly. "You confuse me!" said Lovel, impatiently, striding up and down the room. "I'll tell you how and where I saw Herne later. Just now inform me why you think Gran Jimboy wrote those letters?" "Because I learnt from Catinka----" "You have seen Catinka?" interrupted Lovel, stopping. "Yes, yes! Allow me to proceed. She told me that the letters were written on dirty scraps of paper, by an uneducated person." "But my grandmother would do nothing to harm me. "My dear Lovel," said Paul, coolly, "no doubt by informing Herne of your meetings she thought that she was acting in your interests. Remember, she wanted you to marry Miss Clyde; well, if she could have got Herne to stop your meetings with Milly, she no doubt fancied you would cease loving the poor girl, and consent to make Miss Clyde your wife." "Admitting that, what about the prophecy?"