with a towel, he could release this rising gust of almost hysterical
laughter.

That was Dr. Herbert Farr! The fulfilled vision of the learned
scholar he had come so far to see capped with nicety the climax of
this absurd adventure. What an utter fool, what an unbelievable
idiot he had made of himself! For the moment he saw clear and all
normal reactions proved inadequate. There was left only laughter.

When this was over he felt better. Withdrawing the towel and wiping
the tears of strangled mirth from his eyes he looked around him. The
sylvan bathroom was indeed a charming place. Great rocks, all smooth
and brown with velvet moss, curved gently down to form a basin into
which fell the water from the tiny stream whose musical flowing had
called to him through his window. Around, and somewhat back beneath
tall sentinel trees, crept the bushes and bracken of the mountain;
but, above, the foliage opened and the sun shone in, turning the
brown-green water of the pool to gold. With a sigh of pure delight
the laughter-weary professor stepped into its cool brightness--and
with a gasp of something very different, stepped quickly out again.
But, quick as he was, the liquid ice of that green-gold pool was
quicker. It ran through his tortured nerve like mounting fire--"Oh--
oh--damn!" said the professor heartily.

The sweat stood out on his forehead before he had rubbed and warmed
the outraged limb into some semblance of quietude again. The pool
seemed no longer lovely. Very gingerly he completed such ablutions
as were strictly necessary and then, very cold, very stiff and very,
very empty he turned back toward the house.