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here。〃
Hearing this； Mrs。 Crayford took _her_ opportunity of silencing
Clara next。
〃Come； my dear；〃 she said。 〃Let us lay the cloth before the
gentlemen come in。〃
Clara was too seriously bent on attaining the object which she
had in view to be silenced in that way。 〃I will help you
directly；〃 she answeredthen crossed the room and addressed
herself to the officer； whose name was Steventon。
〃Can you spare me a few minutes？〃 she asked。 〃I have something to
say to you。〃
〃I am entirely at your service； Miss Burnham。〃
Answering in those words； Steventon dismissed the two sailors。
Mrs。 Crayford looked anxiously at her husband。 Crayford whispered
to her； 〃Don't be alarmed about Steventon。 I have cautioned him；
his discretion is to be depended on。〃
Clara beckoned to Crayford to return to her。
〃I will not keep you long；〃 she said。 〃I will promise not to
distress Mr。 Steventon。 Young as I am； you shall both find that I
am capable of self…control。 I won't ask you to go back to the
story of your past sufferings； I only want to be sure that I am
right about one thingI mean about what happened at the time
when the exploring party was dispatched in search of help。 As I
understand it； you cast lots among yourselves who was to go with
the party； and who was to remain behind。 Frank cast the lot to
go。〃 She paused； shuddering。 〃And Richard Wardour；〃 she went on；
〃cast the lot to remain behind。 On your honor； as officers and
gentlemen； is this the truth？〃
〃On my honor；〃 Crayford answered； 〃it is the truth。〃
〃On my honor；〃 Steventon repeated； 〃it is the truth。〃
She looked at them； carefully considering her next words； before
she spoke again。
〃You both drew the lot to stay in the huts；〃 she said； addressing
Crayford and Steventon。 〃And you are both here。 Richard Wardour
drew the lot to stay； and Richard Wardour is not here。 How does
his name come to be with Frank's on the list of the missing？〃
The question was a dangerous one to answer。 Steventon left it to
Crayford to reply。 Once again he answered evasively。
〃It doesn't follow； my dear；〃 he said； 〃that the two men were
missing together because their names happen to come together on
the list。〃
Clara instantly drew the inevitable conclusion from that
ill…considered reply。
〃Frank is missing from the party of relief；〃 she said。 〃Am I to
understand that Wardour is missing from the huts？〃
Both Crayford and Steventon hesitated。 Mrs。 Crayford cast one
indignant look at them； and told the necessary lie； without a
moment's hesitation！
〃Yes！〃 she said。 〃Wardour is missing from the huts。〃
Quickly as she had spoken； she had still spoken too late。 Clara
had noticed the momentary hesitation on the part of the two
officers。 She turned to Steventon。
〃I trust to your honor；〃 she said； quietly。 〃Am I right； or
wrong； in believing that Mrs。 Crayford is mistaken？〃
She had addressed herself to the right man of the two。 Steventon
had no wife present to exercise authority over him。 Steventon；
put on his honor； and fairly forced to say something； owned the
truth。 Wardour had replaced an officer whom accident had disabled
from accompanying the party of relief； and Wardour and Frank were
missing together。
Clara looked at Mrs。 Crayford。
〃You hear？〃 she said。 〃It is you who are mistaken； not I。 What
you call 'Accident；' what I call 'Fate；' brought Richard Wardour
and Frank together as members of the same Expedition； after all。〃
Without waiting for a reply； she again turned to Steventon； and
surprised him by changing the painful subject of the conversation
of her own accord。
〃Have you been in the Highlands of Scotland？〃 she asked。
〃I have never been in the Highlands；〃 the lieutenant replied。
〃Have you ever read； in books about the Highlands； of such a
thing as 'The Second Sight'？〃
〃Yes。〃
〃Do you believe in the Second Sight？〃
Steventon politely declined to commit himself to a direct reply。
〃I don't know what I might have done； if I had ever been in the
Highlands；〃 he said。 〃As it is； I have had no opportunities of
giving the subject any serious consideration。〃
〃I won't put your credulity to the test；〃 Clara proceeded。 〃I
won't ask you to believe anything more extraordinary than that I
had a strange dream in England not very long since。 My dream
showed me what you have just acknowledgedand more than that。
How did the two missing men come to be parted from their
companions？ Were they lost by pure accident； or were they
deliberately left behind on the march？〃
Crayford made a last vain effort to check her inquiries at the
point which they had now reached。
〃Neither Steventon nor I were members of the party of relief；〃 he
said。 〃How are we to answer you？〃
〃Your brother officers who _were_ members of the party must have
told you what happened；〃 Clara rejoined。 〃I only ask you and Mr。
Steventon to tell me what they told you。〃
Mrs。 Crayford interposed again； with a practical suggestion this
time。
〃The luncheon is not unpacked yet；〃 she said。 〃Come； Clara！ this
is our business； and the time is passing。〃
〃The luncheon can wait a few minutes longer；〃 Clara answered。
〃Bear with my obstinacy；〃 she went on； laying her hand
caressingly on Crayford's shoulder。 〃Tell me how those two came
to be separated from the rest。 You have always been the kindest
of friendsdon't begin to be cruel to me now！〃
The tone in which she made her entreaty to Crayford went straight
to the sailor's heart。 He gave up the hopeless struggle： he let
her see a glimpse of the truth。
〃On the third day out；〃 he said； 〃Frank's strength failed him。 He
fell behin d the rest from fatigue。〃
〃Surely they waited for him？〃
〃It was a serious risk to wait for him； my child。 Their lives
（and the lives of the men they had left in the huts） depended； in
that dreadful climate； on their pushing on。 But Frank was a
favorite。 They waited half a day to give Frank the chance of
recovering his strength。〃
There he stopped。 There the imprudence into which his fondness
for Clara had led him showed itself plainly； and closed his lips。
It was too late to take refuge in silence。 Clara was determined
on hearing more。
She questioned Steventon next。
〃Did Frank go on again after the half…day's rest？〃 she asked。
〃He tried to go on〃
〃And failed？〃
〃Yes。〃
〃What did the men do when he failed？ Did they turn cowards？ Did
they desert Frank？〃
She had purposely used language which might irritate Steventon
into answering her plainly。 He was a young manhe fell into the
snare that she had set for him。
〃Not one among them was a coward； Miss Burnham！〃 he replied；
warmly。 〃You are speaking cruelly and unjustly of as brave a set
of fellows as ever lived！ The strongest man among them set the
example； he volunteered to stay by Frank； and to bring him on in
the track of the exploring party。〃
There Steventon stoppedconscious； on his side； that he had said
too much。 Would she ask him who this volunteer was？ No。 She went
straight on to the most embarrassing question that she had put
yetreferring to the volunteer； as if Steventon had already
mentioned his name。
〃What made Richard Wardour so read