On the following morning the cabin on the mountain side was closed at an
early hour, and its late occupant, accompanied by Peter and the collie,
descended the trail to the small station near the base of the mountain,
where he took leave of the old hermit. On his arrival at Ophir he
ordered a carriage and drove directly to The Pines, for he was impatient
to see John Britton at as early a date as possible, and was fearful lest
the latter, with his migratory habits, might escape him.
It was near noon when, having dismissed the carriage, he rang for
admission. He recalled the house and grounds as they appeared to him on
his first arrival, but he found it hard to realize that he was looking
upon the scenes among which most of that strange drama of the last two
years had been enacted. Mr. Underwood himself came to the door.
"Why, Darrell, my boy, how do you do?" he exclaimed, shaking hands
heartily; "thought you'd take us by surprise, eh? Got a little tired of
living alone, I guess, and thought you'd come back to your friends.
Well, it's mighty good to see you; come in; we'll have lunch in about an
hour."
To Mr. Underwood's surprise the young man did not immediately accept the
invitation to come in, but seemed to hesitate for a moment.
"I am very glad to meet you, Mr. Underwood," he responded, pleasantly,
but with a shade of reserve in his manner; "I remember you very well,
indeed, and probably yours is about the only face I will be able to
recall."
For a moment Mr. Underwood seemed staggered, unable to comprehend the
meaning of the other's words.
The young man continued: "I understand Mr. Britton is stopping with you;
is he still here, or has he left?"
"He is here," Mr. Underwood replied; "but, good God! Darrell, what does
this mean?"
Before the other could reply Mr. Britton, who was in an adjoining room
and had overheard the colloquy, came quickly forward. He gave a swift,
penetrating glance into the young man's face, then, turning to Mr.
Underwood, said,-"It means, David, that our young friend has come to his own again. He is
no longer of our world or of us."
Then turning to the young man, he said, "I am John Britton; do you wish
to see me?"
The other looked earnestly into the face of the speaker, and his own
features betrayed emotion as he replied,-"I do; I must see you on especially important business."
"David, you will let us have the use of your private room for a while?"
Mr. Britton inquired.
Mr. Underwood nodded silently, his eyes fixed with a troubled expression
upon the young man's face. The latter, observing his distress, said,-"Don't think, Mr. Underwood, that I am insensible to all your kindness
to me since my coming here two years ago. I shall see you later and show
you that I am not lacking in appreciation, though I can never express
my gratitude to you; but before I can do that--before I can even tell
you who I am--it is necessary that I see Mr. Britton."