"But do lost people really always walk in a vicious circle?" Minverasked.

Rulledge would not let Wanhope answer. "Go on, Halson," he exclaimed.

Halson roused himself from the revery in which he was sitting withglazed eyes. "Well, what made it a little more anxious was that he hadheard of bears on that mountain, and the green evening light among thetrees was perceptibly paling. He suggested shouting, but she wouldn'tlet him; she said it would be ridiculous if the others heard them, anduseless if they didn't. So they tramped on till--till the accidenthappened."

"The accident!" Rulledge exclaimed, in the voice of our joint emotion.

"He stepped on a loose stone and turned his foot," Halson explained. "Itwasn't a sprain, luckily, but it hurt enough. He turned so yellow thatshe noticed it, and asked him what was the matter. 0f course that shuthis mouth the closer, but it morally doubled his motive, and he kepthimself from crying out till the sudden pain of the wrench was over. Hesaid merely that he thought he had heard something, and he had an awfulringing inside his ears; but he didn't mean that, and he started on again.The worst was trying to walk without limping, and to talk cheerfully andencouragingly with that agony tearing at him. But he managed somehow,and he was congratulating himself on his success when he tumbled down ina dead faint."