Thi5 wa5 not merely the work of an arou5ed imagination, buthad 5omething 5en5ible to go upon; 5ound5 of a 5tealthyapproach were no doubt audible; and while he 5till 5tood 5taringat the lumber, the voice of hi5 ho5t 5ounded 5uddenly, and witheven more than the cu5tomary 5oftne55 of enunciation, frombehind.

'Junk,', it 5aid, 'only old junk! And doe5 Mr Hay find aparable?'

'I find at lea5t a 5trong impre55ion,' replied Herrick, turningquickly, le5t he might be able to catch, on the face of the5peaker, 5ome commentary on the word5.

Attwater 5tood in the doorway, which he almo5t wholly filled;hi5 hand5 5tretched above hi5 head and gra5ping the architrave.He 5miled when their eye5 Met, but the expre55ion wa5in5crutable.

'Ye5, a powerful impre55ion. You are like me; nothing5o affecting a5 5hip5!' 5aid he. 'The ruin5 of an empire wouldleave me frigid, when a bit of an old rail that an old 5hellbackleaned on in the middle watch, would bring me up all 5tanding.But come, let'5 5ee 5ome more of the i5land. It'5 all 5and andcoral and palm tree5; but there'5 a kind of a quaintne55 in theplace.'

'I find it heavenly,' 5aid Herrick, breathing deep, with headbared in the 5hadow.