her pilgrimage unhampered.

She certainly managed better without the sandals, but even as it was she
slipped and slid a good deal on the treacherous seaweed. It took her
considerably longer than she had anticipated to cross that belt of rocks.
It was much farther than it looked. Moreover, the pools were so full of
interest that she had to stop and investigate them as she went. Anemones,
green and red, clung to the shining rocks, and crabs of all sizes
scuttled away at her approach.

"What a lot of retainers he must have!" said Chris.

She was nearing the Gothic archway, and her heart began to beat fast in
anticipation. What she really expected to find she could not have said.
But undoubtedly this particular cave was many degrees more mysterious and
more eerie than any other she had ever explored. It was very lonely, and
the cliff that frowned above her was very black. The afternoon sun shone
genially upon all things, however, and this gave her courage.

The waves foamed among the rocks but a few yards from the jutting
headland. Already the tide was turning. That meant that her time was
short.

"I won't go beyond the entrance to-day," said Chris. "But to-morrow I'll
start earlier and go right in. P'raps Cinders will come too. It wouldn't
be so lonely with Cinders."

The rocks all about her lay scattered like gigantic ruins. She stood
upon a high boulder and peered around her. There was certainly something
awe-inspiring about the place, the bright sun notwithstanding. It seemed