As much of jealous fury and venomous malice as could be vocalized in six words was in Ravelli's sudden outbreak. Gerald was astounded. He turned upon his companion, caught him by both lapels of the coat, and shook him so violently that his boot-soles pounded the ground. Ravelli staggered back upon being loosed, and threw one arm around a tree to steady himself. "I didn't mean to hurt you," said Gerald, "but you shouldn't be reckless with your language. Perhaps you don't know what scoundrel means in English." "I saw you-a kiss her hands." "Did you? Well, do you know what I'd do to you, Ravelli, if I saw you kiss her hands--as I did--without her consent? I'd wring your miserable neck. Now, what are you going to do to me?" "I am-a going to keel you!" The blade of a knife flashed in Ravelli's right hand, as he made a furious onslaught; but the stronger and quicker man gripped both of his assailant's wrists, threw him violently to the ground, and tortured him with wrenches and doublings until he had to drop the weapon. In the encounter the clothes of both men were torn, and when Ravelli regained his feet blood was dripping from his hand. The blade had cut it. "You meant to kill me," Gerald exclaimed. "I said-a so," was the sullen, menacing response. "And with my own knife!" and Gerald, picking up the knife, recognized it. "Your own knife--ze one zat you carve-a Mary's hand with so lovingly." Ravelli had retained it since the previous afternoon, when he had picked it up from Mary Warriner's desk. Its blade was now red with blood, as Gerald shut and pocketed it. "You cowardly murderer!" "Murderer? Not-a yet. But I meant to be." Ravelli turned off by the cross-path, and Gerald passed on. CHAPTER III. The first man to go to work at Overlook in the morning was Jim Wilson, because he had to rouse the fire under a boiler early enough to provide steam for a score of rock drills. The night watchman awakened him at daybreak, according to custom, and then got into a bunk as the other got out of one. "Everything all right?" Jim asked. "I guess so," the other replied. "But I hain't seen your boiler sence before midnight. Eph was disturbin' Mary Mite, and so I hung 'round her cabin pretty much the last half of the night." Jim went to his post at the boiler, and at an unaccustomed pace, from the point where he first saw and heard steam hissing upward from the safety valve. On quitting the night previous, he had banked the fire as usual, and this morning he should have found it burning so slowly that an hour of raking, replenishing, and open draughts would no more than start the machinery at seven o'clock. Going nearer he found that open dampers and a fresh supply of coal had set the furnace raging. What was that which protruded from the open door, and so nearly filled the aperture that the draught was not impaired?