I。THEFACEINTHETARGET
HaroldMarch，therisingreviewerandsocialcritic，waswalkingvigorouslyacrossagreattablelandofmoorsandcommons，thehorizonofwhichwasfringedwiththefar—offwoodsofthefamousestateofTorwoodPark。Hewasagood—lookingyoungmanintweeds，withverypalecurlyhairandpalecleareyes。
Walkinginwindandsunintheverylandscapeofliberty，hewasstillyoungenoughtorememberhispoliticsandnotmerelytrytoforgetthem。ForhiserrandatTorwoodParkwasapoliticalone;itwastheplaceofappointmentnamedbynolessapersonthantheChancelloroftheExchequer，SirHowardHorne，thenintroducinghisso—calledSocialistbudget，andpreparedtoexpounditinaninterviewwithsopromisingapenman。HaroldMarchwasthesortofmanwhoknowseverythingaboutpolitics，andnothingaboutpoliticians。Healsoknewagreatdealaboutart，letters，philosophy，andgeneralculture;aboutalmosteverything，indeed，excepttheworldhewaslivingin。
Abruptly，inthemiddleofthosesunnyandwindyflats，hecameuponasortofcleftalmostnarrowenoughtobecalledacrackintheland。Itwasjustlargeenoughtobethewater—courseforasmallstreamwhichvanishedatintervalsundergreentunnelsofundergrowth，asifinadwarfishforest。
Indeed，hehadanoddfeelingasifhewereagiantlookingoverthevalleyofthepygmies。Whenhedroppedintothehollow，however，theimpressionwaslost;therockybanks，thoughhardlyabovetheheightofacottage，hungoverandhadtheprofileofaprecipice。Ashebegantowanderdownthecourseofthestream，inidlebutromanticcuriosity，andsawthewatershininginshortstripsbetweenthegreatgraybouldersandbushesassoftasgreatgreenmosses，hefellintoquiteanoppositeveinoffantasy。Itwasratherasiftheearthhadopenedandswallowedhimintoasortofunderworldofdreams。Andwhenhebecameconsciousofahumanfiguredarkagainstthesilverstream，sittingonalargeboulderandlookingratherlikealargebird，itwasperhapswithsomeofthepremonition’spropertoamanwhomeetsthestrangestfriendshipofhislife。
Themanwasapparentlyfishing;oratleastwasfixedinafisherman’sattitudewithmorethanafisherman’simmobility。Marchwasabletoexaminethemanalmostasifhehadbeenastatueforsomeminutesbeforethestatuespoke。Hewasatall，fairman，cadaverous，andalittlelackadaisical，withheavyeyelidsandahighbridgednose。Whenhisfacewasshadedwithhiswidewhitehat，hislightmustacheandlithefiguregavehimalookofyouth。
ButthePanamalayonthemossbesidehim;andthespectatorcouldseethathisbrowwasprematurelybald;andthis，combinedwithacertainhollownessabouttheeyes，hadanairofheadworkandevenheadache。Butthemostcuriousthingabouthim，realizedafterashortscrutiny，wasthat，thoughhelookedlikeafisherman，hewasnotfishing。
Hewasholding，insteadofarod，somethingthatmighthavebeenalanding—netwhichsomefishermenuse，butwhichwasmuchmoreliketheordinarytoynetwhichchildrencarry，andwhichtheygenerallyuseindifferentlyforshrimpsorbutterflies。Hewasdippingthisintothewateratintervals，gravelyregardingitsharvestofweedormud，andemptyingitoutagain。
\"No，Ihaven’tcaughtanything，\"heremarked，calmly，asifansweringanunspokenquery。\"WhenI
doIhavetothrowitbackagain;especiallythebigfish。ButsomeofthelittlebeastsinterestmewhenI
get’em。\"
\"Ascientificinterest，Isuppose？\"observedMarch。
\"Ofaratheramateurishsort，Ifear，\"answeredthestrangefisherman。\"Ihaveasortofhobbyaboutwhattheycall’phenomenaofphosphorescence。’Butitwouldberatherawkwardtogoaboutinsocietycryingstinkingfish。\"
\"Isupposeitwould，\"saidMarch，withasmile。
\"Ratheroddtoenteradrawing—roomcarryingalargeluminouscod，\"continuedthestranger，inhislistlessway。\"Howquaintitwould，beifonecouldcarryitaboutlikealantern，orhavelittlespratsforcandles。Someoftheseabeastswouldreallybeveryprettylikelampshades;thebluesea—snailthatglittersalloverlikestarlight;andsomeoftheredstarfishreallyshinelikeredstars。But，naturally，I’mnotlookingforthemhere。\"
Marchthoughtofaskinghimwhathewaslookingfor;but，feelingunequaltoatechnicaldiscussionatleastasdeepasthedeep—seafishes，hereturnedtomoreordinarytopics。
\"Delightfulsortofholethisis，\"hesaid。\"Thislittledellandriverhere。It’slikethoseplacesStevensontalksabout，wheresomethingoughttohappen。\"
\"Iknow，\"answeredtheother。\"Ithinkit’sbecausetheplaceitself，sotospeak，seemstohappenandnotmerelytoexist。Perhapsthat’swhatoldPicassoandsomeoftheCubistsaretryingtoexpressbyanglesandjaggedlines。Lookatthatwalllikelowcliffsthatjutsforwardjustatrightanglestotheslopeofturfsweepinguptoit。That’slikeasilentcollision。It’slikeabreakerandtheback—washofawave。\"
Marchlookedatthelow—browedcragoverhangingthegreenslopeandnodded。Hewasinterestedinamanwhoturnedsoeasilyfromthetechnicalitiesofsciencetothoseofart;andaskedhimifheadmiredthenewangularartists。
\"AsIfeelit，theCubistsarenotCubistenough，\"
repliedthestranger。\"Imeanthey’renotthickenough。Bymakingthingsmathematicaltheymakethemthin。Takethelivinglinesoutofthatlandscape，simplifyittoarightangle，andyouflattenitouttoamerediagramonpaper。Diagramshavetheirownbeauty;butitisofjusttheothersort，Theystandfortheunalterablethings;thecalm，eternal，mathematicalsortoftruths;whatsomebodycallsthe’whiteradianceof’——\"
Hestopped，andbeforethenextwordcamesomethinghadhappenedalmosttooquicklyandcompletelytoberealized。Frombehindtheoverhangingrockcameanoiseandrushlikethatofarailwaytrain;andagreatmotorcarappeared。Ittoppedthecrestofcliff，blackagainstthesun，likeabattle—chariotrushingtodestructioninsomewildepic。Marchautomaticallyputouthishandinonefutilegesture，asiftocatchafallingtea—cupinadrawing—room。
Forthefractionofaflashitseemedtoleavetheledgeofrocklikeaflyingship;thentheveryskyseemedtoturnoverlikeawheel，anditlayaruinamidthetallgrassesbelow，alineofgraysmokegoingupslowlyfromitintothesilentair。Alittlelowerthefigureofamanwithgrayhairlaytumbleddownthesteepgreenslope，hislimbslyingallatrandom，andhisfaceturnedaway。
Theeccentricfishermandroppedhisnetandwalkedswiftlytowardthespot，hisnewacquaintancefollowinghim。Astheydrewnearthereseemedasortofmonstrousironyinthefactthatthedeadmachinewasstillthrobbingandthunderingasbusilyasafactory，whilethemanlaysostill。
Hewasunquestionablydead。Thebloodflowedinthegrassfromahopelesslyfatalfractureatthebackoftheskull;buttheface，whichwasturnedtothesun，wasuninjuredandstrangelyarrestinginitself。Itwasoneofthosecasesofastrangefacesounmistakableastofeelfamiliar。Wefeel，somehow，thatweoughttorecognizeit，eventhoughwedonot。
Itwasofthebroad，squaresortwithgreatjaws，almostlikethatofahighlyintellectualape;thewidemouthshutsotightastobetracedbyamereline;thenoseshortwiththesortofnostrilsthatseemtogapewithanappetitefortheair。Theoddestthingaboutthefacewasthatoneoftheeyebrowswascockedupatamuchsharperanglethantheother。Marchthoughthehadneverseenafacesonaturallyaliveasthatdeadone。Anditsuglyenergyseemedallthestrangerforitshaloofhoaryhair。Somepaperslayhalffallenoutofthepocket，andfromamongthemMarchextractedacard—case。Hereadthenameonthecardaloud。
\"SirHumphreyTurnbull。I’msureI’veheardthatnamesomewhere。\"
Hiscompaniononlygaveasortofalittlesighandwassilentforamoment，asifruminating，thenhemerelysaid，\"Thepoorfellowisquitegone，\"andaddedsomescientifictermsinwhichhisauditoroncemorefoundhimselfoutofhisdepth。
\"Asthingsare，\"continuedthesamecuriouslywell—informedperson，\"itwillbemorelegalforustoleavethebodyasitisuntilthepoliceareinformed。Infact，Ithinkitwillbewellifnobodyexceptthepoliceisinformed。Don’tbesurprisedifIseemtobekeepingitdarkfromsomeofourneighborsroundhere。\"Then，asifpromptedtoregularizehisratherabruptconfidence，hesaid：
\"I’vecomedowntoseemycousinatTorwood;mynameisHorneFisher。Mightbeapunonmypotteringabouthere，mightn’tit？\"
\"IsSirHowardHorneyourcousin？\"askedMarch。\"I’mgoingtoTorwoodParktoseehimmyself;onlyabouthispublicwork，ofcourse，andthewonderfulstandheismakingforhisprinciples。I
thinkthisBudgetisthegreatestthinginEnglishhistory。Ifitfails，itwillbethemostheroicfailureinEnglishhistory。Areyouanadmirerofyourgreatkinsman，Mr。Fisher？\"
\"Rather，\"saidMr。Fisher。\"He’sthebestshotI
know。\"
Then，asifsincerelyrepentantofhisnonchalance，headded，withasortofenthusiasm：
\"No，butreally，he’saBEAUTIFULshot。\"
Asiffiredbyhisownwords，hetookasortofleapattheledgesoftherockabovehim，andscaledthemwithasuddenagilityinstartlingcontrasttohisgenerallassitude。Hehadstoodforsomesecondsontheheadlandabove，withhisaquilineprofileunderthePanamahatrelievedagainsttheskyandpeeringoverthecountrysidebeforehiscompanionhadcollectedhimselfsufficientlytoscrambleupafterhim。
Thelevelabovewasastretchofcommonturfonwhichthetracksofthefatedcarwereplowedplainlyenough;butthebrinkofitwasbrokenaswithrockyteeth;brokenbouldersofallshapesandsizeslayneartheedge;itwasalmostincrediblethatanyonecouldhavedeliberatelydrivenintosuchadeathtrap，especiallyinbroaddaylight。
\"Ican’tmakeheadortailofit，\"saidMarch。
\"Washeblind？Orblinddrunk？\"
\"Neither，bythelookofhim，\"repliedtheother。
\"Thenitwassuicide。\"
\"Itdoesn’tseemacozywayofdoingit，\"remarkedthemancalledFisher。\"Besides，Idon’tfancypooroldPuggywouldcommitsuicide，somehow。\"
\"Pooroldwho？\"inquiredthewonderingjournalist。，\"Didyouknowthisunfortunateman？\"
\"Nobodyknewhimexactly，\"repliedFisher，withsomevagueness。\"ButoneKNEWhim，ofcourse。
He’dbeenaterrorinhistime，inParliamentandthecourts，andsoon;especiallyinthatrowaboutthealienswhoweredeportedasundesirables，whenhewantedoneof’emhangedformurder。Hewassosickaboutitthatheretiredfromthebench。Sincethenhemostlymotoredaboutbyhimself;buthewascomingtoTorwood，too，fortheweek—end;andI
don’tseewhyheshoulddeliberatelybreakhisneckalmostattheverydoor。IbelieveHoggs——ImeanmycousinHoward——wascomingdownspeciallytomeethim。\"
\"TorwoodParkdoesn’tbelongtoyourcousin？\"
inquiredMarch。
\"No;itusedtobelongtotheWinthrops，youknow，\"repliedtheother。\"Nowanewman’sgotit;amanfromMontrealnamedJenkins。Hoggscomesfortheshooting;Itoldyouhewasalovelyshot。\"
ThisrepeatedeulogyonthegreatsocialstatesmanaffectedHaroldMarchasifsomebodyhaddefinedNapoleonasadistinguishedplayerofnap。Buthehadanotherhalf—formedimpressionstrugglinginthisfloodofunfamiliarthings，andhebroughtittothesurfacebeforeitcouldvanish。
\"Jenkins，\"herepeated。\"Surelyyoudon’tmeanJeffersonJenkins，thesocialreformer？Imeanthemanwho’sfightingforthenewcottage—estatescheme。ItwouldbeasinterestingtomeethimasanyCabinetMinisterintheworld，ifyou’llexcusemysayingso。\"
\"Yes;Hoggstoldhimitwouldhavetobecottages，\"saidFisher。\"Hesaidthebreedofcattlehadimprovedtoooften，andpeoplewerebeginningtolaugh。And，ofcourse，youmusthangapeerageontosomething;thoughthepoorchaphasn’tgotityet。
Hullo，here’ssomebodyelse。\"
Theyhadstartedwalkinginthetracksofthecar，leavingitbehindtheminthehollow，stillhumminghorriblylikeahugeinsectthathadkilledaman。Thetrackstookthemtothecorneroftheroad，onearmofwhichwentoninthesamelinetowardthedistantgatesofthepark。Itwasclearthatthecarhadbeendrivendownthelongstraightroad，andthen，insteadofturningwiththeroadtotheleft，hadgonestraightonovertheturftoitsdoom。ButitwasnotthisdiscoverythathadrivetedFisher’seye，butsomethingevenmoresolid。Attheangleofthewhiteroadadarkandsolitaryfigurewasstandingalmostasstillasafingerpost。Itwasthatofabigmaninroughshooting—clothes，bareheaded，andwithtousledcurlyhairthatgavehimaratherwildlook。Onanearerapproachthisfirstmorefantasticimpressionfaded;
inafulllightthefiguretookonmoreconventionalcolors，asofanordinarygentlemanwhohappenedtohavecomeoutwithoutahatandwithoutverystudiouslybrushinghishair。Butthemassivestatureremained，andsomethingdeepandevencavernousaboutthesettingoftheeyesredeemed。hisanimalgoodlooksfromthecommonplace。ButMarchhadnotimetostudythemanmoreclosely，for，muchtohisastonishment，hisguidemerelyobserved，\"Hullo，Jack！\"andwalkedpasthimasifhehadindeedbeenasignpost，andwithoutattemptingtoinformhimofthecatastrophebeyondtherocks。Itwasrelativelyasmallthing，butitwasonlythefirstinastringofsingularanticsonwhichhisnewandeccentricfriendwasleadinghim。
Themantheyhadpassedlookedaftertheminratherasuspiciousfashion，butFishercontinuedserenelyonhiswayalongthestraightroadthatranpastthegatesofthegreatestate。
\"That’sJohnBurke，thetraveler，\"hecondescendedtoexplain。\"Iexpectyou’veheardofhim;shootsbiggameandallthat。SorryIcouldn’tstoptointroduceyou，butIdaresayyou’llmeethimlateron。\"
\"Iknowhisbook，ofcourse，\"saidMarch，withrenewedinterest。\"Thatiscertainlyafinepieceofdescription，abouttheirbeingonlyconsciousoftheclosenessoftheelephantwhenthecolossalheadblockedoutthemoon。\"
\"Yes，youngHalkettwritesjollywell，Ithink。
What？Didn’tyouknowHalkettwroteBurke’sbookforhim？Burkecan’tuseanythingexceptagun;andyoucan’twritewiththat。Oh，he’sgenuineenoughinhisway，youknow，asbraveasalion，oragooddealbraverbyallaccounts。\"
\"Youseemtoknowallabouthim，\"observedMarch，witharatherbewilderedlaugh，\"andaboutagoodmanyotherpeople。\"
Fisher’sbaldbrowbecameabruptlycorrugated，andacuriousexpressioncameintohiseyes。
\"Iknowtoomuch，\"hesaid。\"That’swhat’sthematterwithme。That’swhat’sthematterwithallofus，andthewholeshow;weknowtoomuch。Toomuchaboutoneanother;toomuchaboutourselves。
That’swhyI’mreallyinterested，justnow，aboutonethingthatIdon’tknow。\"
\"Andthatis？\"inquiredtheother。
\"Whythatpoorfellowisdead。\"
Theyhadwalkedalongthestraightroadfornearlyamile，conversingatintervalsinthisfashion;andMarchhadasingularsenseofthewholeworldbeingturnedinsideout。Mr。HorneFisherdidnotespeciallyabusehisfriendsandrelativesinfashionablesociety;
ofsomeofthemhespokewithaffection。Buttheyseemedtobeanentirelynewsetofmenandwomen，whohappenedtohavethesamenervesasthemenandwomenmentionedmostofteninthenewspapers。
Yetnofuryofrevoltcouldhaveseemedtohimmoreutterlyrevolutionarythanthiscoldfamiliarity。Itwaslikedaylightontheothersideofstagescenery。
Theyreachedthegreatlodgegatesofthepark，and，toMarch’ssurprise，passedthemandcontinuedalongtheinterminablewhite，straightroad。ButhewashimselftooearlyforhisappointmentwithSirHoward，andwasnotdisinclinedtoseetheendofhisnewfriend’sexperiment，whateveritmightbe。Theyhadlongleftthemoorlandbehindthem，andhalfthewhiteroadwasgrayinthegreatshadowoftheTorwoodpineforests，themselveslikegraybarsshutteredagainstthesunshineandwithin，amidthatclearnoon，manufacturingtheirownmidnight。Soon，however，riftsbegantoappearinthemlikegleamsofcoloredwindows;thetreesthinnedandfellawayastheroadwentforward，showingthewild，irregularcopsesinwhich，asFishersaid，thehouse—partyhadbeenblazingawayallday。
Andabouttwohundredyardsfartherontheycametothefirstturnoftheroad。
AtthecornerstoodasortofdecayedinnwiththedingysignofTheGrapes。Thesignboardwasdarkandindecipherablebynow，andhungblackagainsttheskyandthegraymoorlandbeyond，aboutasinvitingasagallows。Marchremarkedthatitlookedlikeatavernforvinegarinsteadofwine。
\"Agoodphrase，\"saidFisher，\"andsoitwouldbeifyouweresillyenoughtodrinkwineinit。Butthebeerisverygood，andsoisthebrandy。\"
Marchfollowedhimtothebarparlorwithsomewonder，andhisdimsenseofrepugnancewasnotdismissedbythefirstsightoftheinnkeeper，whowaswidelydifferentfromthegenialinnkeepersofromance，abonyman，verysilentbehindablackmustache，butwithblack，restlesseyes。Taciturnashewas，theinvestigatorsucceededatlastinextractingascrapofinformationfromhim，bydintoforderingbeerandtalkingtohimpersistentlyandminutelyonthesubjectofmotorcars。Heevidentlyregardedtheinnkeeperasinsomesingularwayanauthorityonmotorcars;asbeingdeepinthesecretsofthemechanism，management，andmismanagementofmotorcars;holdingthemanallthetimewithaglitteringeyeliketheAncientMariner。Outofallthisrathermysteriousconversationtheredidemergeatlastasortofadmissionthatoneparticularmotorcar，ofagivendescription，hadstoppedbeforetheinnaboutanhourbefore，andthatanelderlymanhadalighted，requiringsomemechanicalassistance。
Askedifthevisitorrequiredanyotherassistance，theinnkeepersaidshortlythattheoldgentlemanhadfilledhisflaskandtakenapacketofsandwiches。
Andwiththesewordsthesomewhatinhospitablehosthadwalkedhastilyoutofthebar，andtheyheardhimbangingdoorsinthedarkinterior。
Fisher’swearyeyewanderedroundthedustyanddrearyinnparlorandresteddreamilyonaglasscasecontainingastuffedbird，withagunhungonhooksaboveit，whichseemedtobeitsonlyornament。
\"Puggywasahumorist，\"heobserved，\"atleastinhisownrathergrimstyle。Butitseemsrathertoogrimajokeforamantobuyapacketofsandwicheswhenheisjustgoingtocommitsuicide。\"
\"Ifyoucometothat，\"answeredMarch，\"itisn’tveryusualforamantobuyapacketofsandwicheswhenhe’sjustoutsidethedoorofagrandhousehe’sgoingtostopat。\"
\"No……no，\"repeatedFisher，almostmechanically;
andthensuddenlycockedhiseyeathisinterlocutorwithamuchlivelierexpression。
\"ByJove！that’sanidea。You’reperfectlyright。
Andthatsuggestsaveryqueeridea，doesn’tit？\"
Therewasasilence，andthenMarchstartedwithirrationalnervousnessasthedooroftheinnwasflungopenandanothermanwalkedrapidlytothecounter。Hehadstruckitwithacoinandcalledoutforbrandybeforehesawtheothertwoguests，whoweresittingatabarewoodentableunderthewindow。Whenheturnedaboutwitharatherwildstare，Marchhadyetanotherunexpectedemotion，forhisguidehailedthemanasHoggsandintroducedhimasSirHowardHorne。
Helookedratherolderthanhisboyishportraitsintheillustratedpapers，asisthewayofpoliticians;hisflat，fairhairwastouchedwithgray，buthisfacewasalmostcomicallyround，withaRomannosewhich，whencombinedwithhisquick，brighteyes，raisedavaguereminiscenceofaparrot。Hehadacapratheratthebackofhisheadandagununderhisarm。
HaroldMarchhadimaginedmanythingsabouthismeetingwiththegreatpoliticalreformer，buthehadneverpicturedhimwithagununderhisarm，drinkingbrandyinapublichouse。
\"Soyou’restoppingatJink’s，too，\"saidFisher。
\"EverybodyseemstobeatJink’s。\"
\"Yes，\"repliedtheChancelloroftheExchequer。
\"Jollygoodshooting。Atleastallofitthatisn’tJink’sshooting。Ineverknewachapwithsuchgoodshootingthatwassuchabadshot。Mindyou，he’sajollygoodfellowandallthat;Idon’tsayawordagainsthim。Butheneverlearnedtoholdagunwhenhewaspackingporkorwhateverhedid。Theysayheshotthecockadeoffhisownservant’shat;justlikehimtohavecockades，ofcourse。Heshottheweathercockoffhisownridiculousgildedsummerhouse。It’stheonlycockhe’lleverkill，I
shouldthink。Areyoucominguptherenow？\"
Fishersaid，rathervaguely，thathewasfollowingsoon，whenhehadfixedsomethingup;andtheChancelloroftheExchequerlefttheinn。Marchfanciedhehadbeenalittleupsetorimpatientwhenhecalledforthebrandy;buthehadtalkedhimselfbackintoasatisfactorystate，ifthetalkhadnotbeenquitewhathisliteraryvisitorhadexpected。Fisher，afewminutesafterward，slowlyledthewayoutofthetavernandstoodinthemiddleoftheroad，lookingdowninthedirectionfromwhichtheyhadtraveled。
Thenhewalkedbackabouttwohundredyardsinthatdirectionandstoodstillagain。
\"Ishouldthinkthisisabouttheplace，\"hesaid。
\"Whatplace？\"askedhiscompanion。
\"Theplacewherethepoorfellowwaskilled，\"saidFisher，sadly。
\"Whatdoyoumean？\"demandedMarch。
\"Hewassmashedupontherocksamileandahalffromhere。\"
\"No，hewasn’t，\"repliedFisher。\"Hedidn’tfallontherocksatall。Didn’tyounoticethatheonlyfellontheslopeofsoftgrassunderneath？ButIsawthathehadabulletinhimalready。\"
Thenafterapauseheadded：
\"Hewasaliveattheinn，buthewasdeadlongbeforehecametotherocks。Sohewasshotashedrovehiscardownthisstripofstraightroad，andIshouldthinksomewhereabouthere。Afterthat，ofcourse，thecarwentstraightonwithnobodytostoporturnit。It’sreallyaverycunningdodgeinitsway;forthebodywouldbefoundfaraway，andmostpeoplewouldsay，asyoudo，thatitwasanaccidenttoamotorist。Themurderermusthavebeenacleverbrute。\"
\"Butwouldn’ttheshotbeheardattheinnorsomewhere？\"askedMarch。
\"Itwouldbeheard。Butitwouldnotbenoticed。That，\"continuedtheinvestigator，\"iswherehewascleveragain。Shootingwasgoingonallovertheplaceallday;verylikelyhetimedhisshotsoastodrownitinanumberofothers。Certainlyhewasafirst—classcriminal。Andhewassomethingelseaswell。\"
\"Whatdoyoumean？\"askedhiscompanion，withacreepypremonitionofsomethingcoming，heknewnotwhy。
\"Hewasafirst—classshot，\"saidFisher。
Hehadturnedhisbackabruptlyandwaswalkingdownanarrow，grassylane，littlemorethanacarttrack，whichlayoppositetheinnandmarkedtheendofthegreatestateandthebeginningoftheopenmoors。Marchploddedafterhimwiththesameidleperseverance，andfoundhimstaringthroughagapingiantweedsandthornsattheflatfaceofapaintedpaling。Frombehindthepalingrosethegreatgraycolumnsofarowofpoplars，whichfilledtheheavensabovethemwithdark—greenshadowandshookfaintlyinawindwhichhadsunkslowlyintoabreeze。Theafternoonwasalreadydeepeningintoevening，andthetitanicshadowsofthepoplarslengthenedoverathirdofthelandscape。
\"Areyouafirst—classcriminal？\"askedFisher，inafriendlytone。\"I’mafraidI’mnot。ButIthinkIcanmanagetobeasortoffourth—rateburglar。\"
Andbeforehiscompanioncouldreplyhehadmanagedtoswinghimselfupandoverthefence;
Marchfollowedwithoutmuchbodilyeffort，butwithconsiderablementaldisturbance。Thepoplarsgrewsocloseagainstthefencethattheyhadsomedifficultyinslippingpastthem，andbeyondthepoplarstheycouldseeonlyahighhedgeoflaurel，greenandlustrousinthelevelsun。Somethinginthislimitationbyaseriesoflivingwallsmadehimfeelasifhewerereallyenteringashatteredhouseinsteadofanopenfield。Itwasasifhecameinbyadisuseddoororwindowandfoundthewayblockedbyfurniture。Whentheyhadcircumventedthelaurelhedge，theycameoutonasortofterraceofturf，whichfellbyonegreensteptoanoblonglawnlikeabowlinggreen。Beyondthiswastheonlybuildinginsight，alowconservatory，whichseemedfarawayfromanywhere，likeaglasscottagestandinginitsownfieldsinfairyland。Fisherknewthatlonelylookoftheoutlyingpartsofagreathousewellenough。Herealizedthatitismoreofasatireonaristocracythanifitwerechokedwithweedsandlitteredwithruins。Foritisnotneglectedandyetitisdeserted;atanyrate，itisdisused。Itisregularlysweptandgarnishedforamasterwhonevercomes。
Lookingoverthelawn，however，hesawoneobjectwhichhehadnotapparentlyexpected。
Itwasasortoftripodsupportingalargediskliketheroundtopofatabletippedsideways，anditwasnotuntiltheyhaddroppedontothelawnandwalkedacrosstolookatitthatMarchrealizedthatitwasatarget。Itwaswornandweatherstained;thegaycolorsofitsconcentricringswerefaded;possiblyithadbeensetupinthosefar—offVictoriandayswhentherewasafashionofarchery。Marchhadoneofhisvaguevisionsofladiesincloudycrinolinesandgentlemeninoutlandishhatsandwhiskersrevisitingthatlostgardenlikeghosts。
Fisher，whowaspeeringmorecloselyatthetarget，startledhimbyanexclamation。
\"Hullo！\"hesaid。\"Somebodyhasbeenpepperingthisthingwithshot，afterall，andquitelately，too。Why，IbelieveoldJink’sbeentryingtoimprovehisbadshootinghere。\"
\"Yes，anditlooksasifitstillwantedimproving，\"answeredMarch，laughing。\"Notoneoftheseshotsisanywherenearthebull’s—eye;theyseemjustscatteredaboutinthewildestway。\"
\"Inthewildestway，\"repeatedFisher，stillpeeringintentlyatthetarget。Heseemedmerelytoassent，butMarchfanciedhiseyewasshiningunderitssleepylidandthathestraightenedhisstoopingfigurewithastrangeeffort。
\"Excusemeamoment，\"hesaid，feelinginhispockets。\"IthinkI’vegotsomeofmychemicals;andafterthatwe’llgouptothehouse。\"Andhestoopedagainoverthetarget，puttingsomethingwithhisfingerovereachoftheshot—holes，sofarasMarchcouldseemerelyadull—graysmear。
Thentheywentthroughthegatheringtwilightupthelonggreenavenuestothegreathouse。
Hereagain，however，theeccentricinvestigatordidnotenterbythefrontdoor。Hewalkedroundthehouseuntilhefoundawindowopen，and，leapingintoit，introducedhisfriendtowhatappearedtobethegun—room。Rowsoftheregularinstrumentsforbringingdownbirdsstoodagainstthewalls;butacrossatableinthewindowlayoneortwoweaponsofaheavierandmoreformidablepattern。
\"HulloItheseareBurke’sbig—gamerifles，\"
saidFisher。\"Ineverknewhekeptthemhere。\"
Heliftedoneofthem，examineditbriefly，andputitdownagain，frowningheavily。Almostashedidsoastrangeyoungmancamehurriedlyintotheroom。Hewasdarkandsturdy，withabumpyforeheadandabulldogjaw，andhespokewithacurtapology。
\"IleftMajorBurke’sgunshere，\"hesaid，\"andhewantsthempackedup。He’sgoingawayto—night。\"
Andhecarriedoffthetworifleswithoutcastingaglanceatthestranger;throughtheopenwindowtheycouldseehisshort，darkfigurewalkingawayacrosstheglimmeringgarden。
Fishergotoutofthewindowagainandstoodlookingafterhim。
\"That’sHalkett，whomItoldyouabout，\"hesaid。\"IknewhewasasortofsecretaryandhadtodowithBurke’spapers;butIneverknewhe。hadanythingtodowithhisguns。Buthe’sjustthesortofsilent，sensiblelittledevilwhomightbeverygoodatanything;thesortofmanyouknowforyearsbeforeyoufindhe’sachesschampion。\"
Hehadbeguntowalkinthedirectionofthedisappearingsecretary，andtheysooncamewithinsightoftherestofthehouse—partytalkingandlaughingonthelawn。Theycouldseethetallfigureandloosemaneofthelion—hunterdominatingthelittlegroup。
\"Bytheway，\"observedFisher，\"whenweweretalkingaboutBurkeandHalkett，Isaidthatamancouldn’tverywellwritewithagun。
Well，I’mnotsosurenow。Didyoueverhearofanartistsocleverthathecoulddrawwithagun？There’sawonderfulchaplooseabouthere。\"
SirHowardhailedFisherandhisfriendthejournalistwithalmostboisterousamiability。ThelatterwaspresentedtoMajorBurkeandMr。
Halkettandalso（bywayofaparenthesis）tohishost，Mr。Jenkins，acommonplacelittlemaninloudtweeds，whomeverybodyelseseemedtotreatwithasortofaffection，asifhewereababy。
TheirrepressibleChancelloroftheExchequerwasstilltalkingaboutthebirdshehadbroughtdown，thebirdsthatBurkeandHalketthadbroughtdown，andthebirdsthatJenkins，theirhost，hadfailedtobringdown。Itseemedtobeasortofsociablemonomania。
\"Youandyourbiggame，\"heejaculated，aggressively，toBurke。\"Why，anybodycouldshootbiggame。Youwanttobeashottoshootsmallgame。\"
\"Quiteso，\"interposedHorneFisher。\"Nowifonlyahippopotamuscouldflyupintheairoutofthatbush，oryoupreservedflyingelephantsontheestate，why，then——\"
\"WhyevenJinkmighthitthatsortofbird，\"
criedSirHoward，hilariouslyslappinghishostontheback。\"Evenhemighthitahaystackorahippopotamus。\"
\"Lookhere，youfellows，\"saidFisher。\"I
wantyoutocomealongwithmeforaminuteandshootatsomethingelse。Notahippopotamus。AnotherkindofqueeranimalI’vefoundontheestate。It’sananimalwiththreelegsandoneeye，andit’sallthecolorsoftherainbow。\"
\"Whatthedeuceareyoutalkingabout？\"
askedBurke。
\"Youcomealongandsee，\"repliedFisher，cheerfully。
Suchpeopleseldomrejectanythingnonsensical，fortheyarealwaysseekingforsomethingnew。Theygravelyrearmedthemselvesfromthegun—roomandtroopedalongatthetailoftheirguide，SirHowardonlypausing，inasortofecstasy，topointoutthecelebratedgiltsummerhouseonwhichthegiltweathercockstillstoodcrooked。Itwasduskturningtodarkbythetimetheyreachedtheremotegreenbythepoplarsandacceptedthenewandaimlessgameofshootingattheoldmark。
Thelastlightseemedtofadefromthelawn，andthepoplarsagainstthesunsetwerelikegreatplumesuponapurplehearse，whenthefutileprocessionfinallycurvedround，andcameoutinfrontofthetarget。
SirHowardagainslappedhishostontheshoulder，shovinghimplayfullyforwardtotakethefirstshot。Theshoulderandarmhetouchedseemedunnaturallystiffandangular。Mr。
Jenkinswasholdinghisguninanattitudemoreawkwardthananythathissatiricfriendshadseenorexpected。
Atthesameinstantahorriblescreamseemedtocomefromnowhere。Itwassounnaturalandsounsuitedtothescenethatitmighthavebeenmadebysomeinhumanthingflyingonwingsabovethemoreavesdroppinginthedarkwoodsbeyond。ButFisherknewthatithadstartedandstoppedonthepalelipsofJeffersonJenkins，ofMontreal，andnooneatthatmomentcatchingsightofJeffersonJenkins’sfacewouldhavecomplainedthatitwascommonplace。
Thenextmomentatorrentofgutturalbutgood—humoredoathscamefromMajorBurkeasheandthetwoothermensawwhatwasinfrontofthem。Thetargetstoodupinthedimgrasslikeadarkgoblingrinningatthem，anditwasliterallygrinning。Ithadtwoeyeslikestars，andinsimilarlividpointsoflightwerepickedoutthetwoupturnedandopennostrilsandthetwoendsofthewideandtightmouth。
Afewwhitedotsaboveeacheyeindicatedthehoaryeyebrows;andoneofthemranupwardalmosterect。ItwasabrilliantcaricaturedoneinbrightbottedlinesandMarchknewofwhom。Itshoneintheshadowygrass，smearedwithseafireasifoneofthesubmarinemonstershadcrawledintothetwilightgarden;butithadtheheadofadeadman。
\"It’sonlyluminouspaint，\"saidBurke。\"OldFisher’sbeenhavingajokewiththatphosphorescentstuffofhis。\"
\"SeemstobemeantforoldPuggy\"’observedSirHoward。\"Hitshimoffverywell。\"
Withthattheyalllaughed，exceptJenkins。
Whentheyhadalldone，hemadeanoiselikethefirsteffortofananimaltolaugh，andHorneFishersuddenlystrodeacrosstohimandsaid：
\"Mr。Jenkins，Imustspeaktoyouatonceinprivate。\"
Itwasbythelittlewatercourseinthemoors，ontheslopeunderthehangingrock，thatMarchmethisnewfriendFisher，byappointment，shortlyaftertheuglyandalmostgrotesquescenethathadbrokenupthegroupinthegarden。
\"Itwasamonkey—trickofmine，\"observedFisher，gloomily，\"puttingphosphorusonthetarget;buttheonlychancetomakehimjumpwastogivehimthehorrorssuddenly。Andwhenhesawthefacehe’dshotatshiningonthetargethepracticedon，alllitupwithaninfernallight，hedidjump。Quiteenoughformyownintellectualsatisfaction。\"
\"I’mafraidIdon’tquiteunderstandevennow，\"saidMarch，\"exactlywhathedidorwhyhedidit。\"
\"Yououghtto，\"repliedFisher，withhisratherdrearysmile，\"foryougavemethefirstsuggestionyourself。Ohyes，youdid;anditwas。
averyshrewdone。Yousaidamanwouldn’ttakesandwicheswithhimtodineatagreathouse。Itwasquitetrue;andtheinferencewasthat，thoughhewasgoingthere，hedidn’tmeantodinethere。Or，atanyrate，thathemightnotbediningthere。Itoccurredtomeatoncethatheprobablyexpectedthevisittobeunpleasant，orthereceptiondoubtful，orsomethingthatwouldpreventhisacceptinghospitality。
ThenitstruckmethatTurnbullwasaterrortocertainshadycharactersinthepast，andthathehadcomedowntoidentifyanddenounceoneofthem。Thechancesatthestartpointedtothehost——thatis，Jenkins。I’mmorallycertainnowthatJenkinswastheundesirablealienTurnbullwantedtoconvictinanothershooting—affair，butyouseetheshootinggentlemanhadanothershotinhislocker。\"
\"Butyousaidhewouldhavetobeaverygoodshot，\"protestedMarch。
\"Jenkinsisaverygoodshot，\"saidFisher。
\"Averygoodshotwhocanpretendtobeaverybadshot。ShallItellyouthesecondhintIhiton，afteryours，tomakemethinkitwasJenkins？Itwasmycousin’saccountofhisbadshooting。He’dshotacockadeoffahatandaweathercockoffabuilding。Now，infact，amanmustshootverywellindeedtoshootsobadlyasthat。Hemustshootveryneatlytohitthecockadeandnotthehead，oreventhehat。
Iftheshotshadreallygoneatrandom，thechancesareathousandtoonethattheywouldnothavehitsuchprominentandpicturesqueobjects。Theywerechosenbecausetheywereprominentandpicturesqueobjects。Theymakeastorytogotheroundofsociety。Hekeepsthecrookedweathercockinthesummerhousetoperpetuatethestoryofalegend。Andthenhelayinwaitwithhisevileyeandwickedgun，safelyambushedbehindthelegendofhisownincompetence。
\"Butthereismorethanthat。Thereisthesummerhouseitself。Imeanthereisthewholething。There’sallthatJenkinsgetschaffedabout，thegildingandthegaudycolorsandallthevulgaritythat’ssupposedtostamphimasanupstart。Now，asamatteroffact，upstartsgenerallydon’tdothis。Godknowsthere’senoughof’eminsociety;andoneknows’emwellenough。Andthisistheverylastthingtheydo。
They’regenerallyonlytookeentoknowtherightthinganddoit;andtheyinstantlyputthemselvesbodyandsoulintothehandsofartdecoratorsandartexperts，whodothewholethingforthem。There’shardlyanothermillionairealivewhohasthemoralcouragetohaveagiltmonogramonachairlikethatoneinthegun—room。Forthatmatter，there’sthenameaswellasthemonogram。NameslikeTompkinsandJenkinsandJinksarefunnywithoutbeingvulgar;Imeantheyarevulgarwithoutbeingcommon。Ifyoupreferit，theyarecommonplacewithoutbeingcommon。TheyarejustthenamestobechosentoLOOKordinary，butthey’rereallyratherextraordinary。DoyouknowmanypeoplecalledTompkins？It’sagooddealrarerthanTalbot。It’sprettymuchthesamewiththecomicclothesoftheparvenu。JenkinsdresseslikeacharacterinPunch。Butthat’sbecauseheisacharacterinPunch。Imeanhe’safictitiouscharacter。He’safabulousanimal。Hedoesn’texist。
\"Haveyoueverconsideredwhatitmustbeliketobeamanwhodoesn’texist？Imeantobeamanwithafictitiouscharacterthathehastokeepupattheexpensenotmerelyofpersonaltalents：Tobeanewkindofhypocritehidingatalentinanewkindofnapkin。Thismanhaschosenhishypocrisyveryingeniously;itwasreallyanewone。Asubtlevillainhasdressedupasadashinggentlemanandaworthybusinessmanandaphilanthropistandasaint;buttheloudchecksofacomicallittlecadwerereallyratheranewdisguise。Butthedisguisemustbeveryirksometoamanwhocanreallydothings。
Thisisadexterouslittlecosmopolitanguttersnipewhocandoscoresofthings，notonlyshoot，butdrawandpaint，andprobablyplaythefiddle。
Nowamanlikethatmayfindthehidingofhistalentsuseful;buthecouldneverhelpwantingtousethemwheretheywereuseless。Ifhecandraw，hewilldrawabsent—mindedlyonblottingpaper。IsuspectthisrascalhasoftendrawnpooroldPuggy’sfaceonblottingpaper。Probablyhebegandoingitinblotsasheafterwarddiditindots，orrathershots。Itwasthesamesortofthing;hefoundadisusedtargetinadesertedyardandcouldn’tresistindulginginalittlesecretshooting，likesecretdrinking。Youthoughttheshotsallscatteredandirregular，andsotheywere;butnotaccidental。Notwodistanceswerealike;
butthedifferentpointswereexactlywherehewantedtoputthem。There’snothingneedssuchmathematicalprecisionasawildcaricature。I’vedabbledalittleindrawingmyself，andIassureyouthattoputonedotwhereyouwantitisamarvelwithapenclosetoapieceofpaper。Itwasamiracletodoitacrossagardenwithagun。Butamanwhocanworkthosemiracleswillalwaysitchtoworkthem，ifit’sonlyinthedark。\"
AfterapauseMarchobserved，thoughtfully，\"Buthecouldn’thavebroughthimdownlikeabirdwithoneofthoselittleguns。\"
\"No;thatwaswhyIwentintothegun—room，\"
repliedFisher。\"HediditwithoneofBurke’srifles，andBurkethoughtheknewthesoundofit。That’swhyherushedoutwithoutahat，lookingsowild。Hesawnothingbutacarpassingquickly，whichhefollowedforalittleway，andthenconcludedhe’dmadeamistake。\"
Therewasanothersilence，duringwhichFishersatonagreatstoneasmotionlessasontheirfirstmeeting，andwatchedthegrayandsilverrivereddyingpastunderthebushes。ThenMarchsaid，abruptly，\"Ofcourseheknowsthetruthnow。\"
\"NobodyknowsthetruthbutyouandI，\"
answeredFisher，withacertainsofteninginhisvoice。\"AndIdon’tthinkyouandIwilleverquarrel。\"
\"Whatdoyoumean？\"askedMarch，inanalteredaccent。\"Whathaveyoudoneaboutit？\"
HorneFishercontinuedtogazesteadilyattheeddyingstream。Atlasthesaid，\"Thepolicehaveproveditwasamotoraccident。\"
\"Butyouknowitwasnot。\"
\"ItoldyouthatIknowtoomuch，\"repliedFisher，withhiseyeontheriver。\"Iknowthat，andIknowagreatmanyotherthings。Iknowtheatmosphereandthewaythewholethingworks。Iknowthisfellowhassucceededinmakinghimselfsomethingincurablycommonplaceandcomic。Iknowyoucan’tgetupapersecutionofoldTooleorLittleTich。IfIweretotellHoggsorHalkettthatoldJinkwasanassassin，theywouldalmostdieoflaughterbeforemyeyes。Oh，I
don’tsaytheirlaughter’squiteinnocent，thoughit’sgenuineinitsway。TheywantoldJink，andtheycouldn’tdowithouthim。I
don’tsayI’mquiteinnocent。IlikeHoggs;Idon’twanthimtobedownandout;andhe’dbedoneforifJinkcan’tpayforhiscoronet。Theyweredevilishnearthelineatthelastelection。
Buttheonlyrealobjectiontoitisthatit’simpossible。Nobodywouldbelieveit;it’snotinthepicture。Thecrookedweathercockwouldalwaysturnitintoajoke。\"
\"Don’tyouthinkthisisinfamous？\"askedMarch，quietly。
\"Ithinkagoodmanythings，\"repliedtheother。\"Ifyoupeopleeverhappentoblowthewholetangleofsocietytohellwithdynamite，Idon’tknowthatthehumanracewillbemuchtheworse。Butdon’tbetoohardonmemerelybecauseIknowwhatsocietyis。That’swhyI
moonawaymytimeoverthingslikestinkingfish。\"
Therewasapauseashesettledhimselfdownagainbythestream;andthenheadded：
\"ItoldyoubeforeIhadtothrowbackthebigfish。\"
II。THEVANISHINGPRINCE
Thistalebeginsamongatangleoftalesroundanamethatisatoncerecentandlegendary。ThenameisthatofMichaelO’Neill，popularlycalledPrinceMichael，partlybecauseheclaimeddescentfromancientFenianprinces，andpartlybecausehewascreditedwithaplantomakehimselfprincepresidentofIreland，asthelastNapoleondidofFrance。Hewasundoubtedlyagentlemanofhonorablepedigreeandofmanyaccomplishments，buttwoofhisaccomplishmentsemergedfromalltherest。Hehadatalentforappearingwhenhewasnotwantedandatalentfordisappearingwhenhewaswanted，especiallywhenhewaswantedbythepolice。Itmaybeaddedthathisdisappearancesweremoredangerousthanhisappearances。Inthelatterheseldomwentbeyondthesensational——pastingupseditiousplacards，tearingdownofficialplacards，makingflamboyantspeeches，orunfurlingforbiddenflags。Butinordertoeffecttheformerhewouldsometimesfightforhisfreedomwithstartlingenergy，fromwhichmenweresometimesluckytoescapewithabrokenheadinsteadofabrokenneck。Hismostfamousfeatsofescape，however，wereduetodexterityandnottoviolence。Onacloudlesssummermorninghehadcomedownacountryroadwhitewithdust，and，pausingoutsideafarmhouse，hadtoldthefarmer’sdaughter，withelegantindifference，thatthelocalpolicewereinpursuitofhim。Thegirl’snamewasBridgetRoyce，asomberandevensullentypeofbeauty，andshelookedathimdarkly，asifindoubt，andsaid，\"Doyouwantmetohideyou？\"
Uponwhichheonlylaughed，leapedlightlyoverthestonewall，andstrodetowardthefarm，merelythrowingoverhisshouldertheremark，\"Thankyou，I
havegenerallybeenquitecapableofhidingmyself。\"
Inwhichproceedingheactedwithatragicignoranceofthenatureofwomen;andtherefellonhispathinthatsunshineashadowofdoom。