“For full a minute we stood confronting each other without a word.  He was still standing in the full blaze of the sunlight, with the same odd smile upon his face, and a peculiar light in his dark eyes that never swerved for a moment.  Finally he gave a low laugh and nodding lightly, said—­

“’Odd thing our meeting like this, eh?  Hand of Fate or some such thing might be mixed up in it from the way we run across each other’s path.’

“I assented.

“’Queer too, you’ll allow, that we should both be struck with the fancy for ascending this mountain.  Very few Europeans do it, so I’m told.  I’m on my way up, are you?  No?  Coming down and taking things easily, to judge by the way I found you occupied.’

“Was the man mocking me?  Or had he, after all, no suspicions?  His voice was soft and pleasant as ever, nor could I detect a trace of irony in its tone.  But I was on my guard.

“‘This Peak seems strewn with the handiwork of the heathen,’ he continued.  ’But really you seem to be in luck’s way.  I congratulate you.  What’s this?  Skeletons, eh?  Upon my word, Trenoweth, you’ve unearthed a treasure.  And this?  A statue?  Well, it’s a queer place to come hunting for statues, but you’ve picked up an ugly-looking beggar in all conscience!’

“He had advanced to the head, which lay in the rank herbage staring up in hideous spite to heaven.  Presently he turned to me and said—­

“’Well, this is very remarkable.  The fellow who carved this seems to have borrowed my features—­not very complimentary of him, I must say.  Don’t you see the likeness?’

“It was solemn truth.  Feature by feature that atrocious face was simply a reproduction of Colliver’s.  As I stared in amazement, it seemed more and more marvellous that I had not noticed the resemblance before.  True, each feature was distorted and exaggerated to produce the utter malignity of its expression.  But the face was the face of Colliver.  Nobody could have called him a handsome man, but before this I had found Colliver not unpleasant to look upon.  Now the hate of the statue’s face seemed to have reflected itself upon him.  I leant against a tree for support and passed my hand across my brow as if to banish a fearful dream.  But it was no dream, and when he turned to speak again I could see lurking beneath the assumed expression of the man all the evil passions and foul wickedness engraved upon the stone.

“‘Well,’ he remarked, ’stranger things than this have happened, but not much.  You seem distressed, Trenoweth.  Surely I, if any one, have the right to be annoyed.  But you let your antiquarian zeal carry you too far.  It’s hardly fair to dig these poor remains from their sepulchre and leave them to bleach beneath this tropical sun, even in the interest of science.’

“With this he knelt down and began to gather—­very reverently, as I thought—­the bones into a heap, and replace them in their tomb.  This done, he kicked up a lump or two of turf from the little lawn and pressed it down upon them, humming to himself all the while.  Finally he rose and turned again towards me—­