and cheese, he fortified himself for his evening stroll, and then,
before the torch actually expired, found his way to the opening
again, and so out upon the moor.

Far away, but still distinctly visible against the bright sky, was
the tall figure of the gipsy. Cuthbert was not afraid of being seen
at so great a distance, but he still took the precaution of keeping
all the tallest bushes and clumps of flowering gorse between him
and the quarry he was following; and when at length the trees of
the wooded tracts rose up before his eyes, he quickened his pace
slightly, and gained decidedly upon Robin before he glided into the
dark pine forest.

Before doing this, the gipsy turned back and looked carefully
round; but Cuthbert was already crouching behind a bush, and
escaped observation. As soon as Robin had fairly disappeared, the
youth rose and ran quickly after him, and soon caught glimpses of
the tall, stooping figure wending its way amongst the ruddy pine
stems, now dyed golden and crimson in the glow of the bright
sunset.

On and on he went in the fading light, and on and on went Cuthbert
in steady pursuit. This part of the forest was strange to the
youth, but it was familiar enough to the gipsy. From the mechanical
way in which he chose his track, and the direct certainty with
which he walked, it was plain that he knew every inch of the road,
and could have found the path by night as well as by day.

"Sure it must lead to the haunted dell," thought Cuthbert, as the
gloom deepened around him and the wood grew denser and denser. The