As he spoke, he was lighting another piece of the magnesium ribbon, which
made a blinding glare in which everything was plainly discernible, down
to the smallest detail. This exactly suited Mimi. She took accurate
note of the wicket and its fastening before the glare had died away. She
took her revolver out and fired into the lock, which was shivered on the
instant, the pieces flying round in all directions, but happily without
causing hurt to anyone. Then she pushed the wicket open and ran down the
narrow stair, and so to the hall door. Opening this also, she ran down
the avenue, never lessening her speed till she stood outside the door of
Lesser Hill. The door was opened at once on her ringing. "Is Mr. Adam Salton in?" she asked. "He has just come in, a few minutes ago. He has gone up to the study,"
replied a servant. She ran upstairs at once and joined him. He seemed relieved when he saw
her, but scrutinised her face keenly. He saw that she had been in some
concern, so led her over to the sofa in the window and sat down beside
her. "Now, dear, tell me all about it!" he said. She rushed breathlessly through all the details of her adventure on the
turret roof. Adam listened attentively, helping her all he could, and
not embarrassing her by any questioning. His thoughtful silence was a
great help to her, for it allowed her to collect and organise her
thoughts. "I must go and see Caswall to-morrow, to hear what he has to say on the
subject." "But, dear, for my sake, don't have any quarrel with Mr. Caswall. I have
had too much trial and pain lately to wish it increased by any anxiety
regarding you." "You shall not, dear--if I can help it--please God," he said solemnly,
and he kissed her. Then, in order to keep her interested so that she might forget the fears
and anxieties that had disturbed her, he began to talk over the details
of her adventure, making shrewd comments which attracted and held her
attention. Presently, _inter alia_, he said:

"That's a dangerous game Caswall is up to. It seems to me that that
young man--though he doesn't appear to know it--is riding for a fall!" "How, dear? I don't understand." "Kite flying on a night like this from a place like the tower of Castra
Regis is, to say the least of it, dangerous. It is not merely courting
death or other accident from lightning, but it is bringing the lightning
into where he lives. Every cloud that is blowing up here--and they all
make for the highest point--is bound to develop into a flash of
lightning. That kite is up in the air and is bound to attract the
lightning. Its cord makes a road for it on which to travel to earth. When it does come, it will strike the top of the tower with a weight a
hundred times greater than a whole park of artillery, and will knock
Castra Regis into pieces. Where it will go after that, no one can tell. If there should be any metal by which it can travel, such will not only
point the road, but be the road itself." "Would it be dangerous to be out in the open air when such a thing is
taking place?" she asked. "No, little woman. It would be the safest possible place--so long as one
was not in the line of the electric current." "Then, do let us go outside. I don't want to run into any foolish
danger--or, far more, to ask you to do so. But surely if the open is
safest, that is the place for us." Without another word, she put on again the cloak she had thrown off, and
a small, tight-fitting cap. Adam too put on his cap, and, after seeing
that his revolver was all right, gave her his hand, and they left the
house together. "I think the best thing we can do will be to go round all the places
which are mixed up in this affair." "All right, dear, I am ready. But, if you don't mind, we might go first
to Mercy. I am anxious about grandfather, and we might see that--as yet,
at all events--nothing has happened there." So they went on the high-hung road along the top of the Brow. The wind
here was of great force, and made a strange booming noise as it swept
high overhead; though not the sound of cracking and tearing as it passed
through the woods of high slender trees which grew on either side of the
road. Mimi could hardly keep her feet. She was not afraid; but the
force to which she was opposed gave her a good excuse to hold on to her
husband extra tight. At Mercy there was no one up--at least, all the lights were out. But to
Mimi, accustomed to the nightly routine of the house, there were manifest
signs that all was well, except in the little room on the first floor,
where the blinds were down. Mimi could not bear to look at that, to
think of it. Adam understood her pain, for he had been keenly interested
in poor Lilla. He bent over and kissed her, and then took her hand and
held it hard. Thus they passed on together, returning to the high road
towards Castra Regis. At the gate of Castra Regis they were extra careful. When drawing near,
Adam stumbled upon the wire that Lady Arabella had left trailing on the
ground. Adam drew his breath at this, and spoke in a low, earnest whisper:

"I don't want to frighten you, Mimi dear, but wherever that wire is there
is danger." "Danger! How?" "That is the track where the lightning will go; at any moment, even now
whilst we are speaking and searching, a fearful force may be loosed upon
us. Run on, dear; you know the way to where the avenue joins the
highroad. If you see any sign of the wire, keep away from it, for God's
sake. I shall join you at the gateway." "Are you going to follow that wire alone?" "Yes, dear. One is sufficient for that work. I shall not lose a moment
till I am with you." "Adam, when I came with you into the open, my main wish was that we
should be together if anything serious happened. You wouldn't deny me
that right, would you, dear?" "No, dear, not that or any right. Thank God that my wife has such a
wish. Come; we will go together. We are in the hands of God. If He
wishes, we shall be together at the end, whenever or wherever that may
be." They picked up the trail of the wire on the steps and followed it down
the avenue, taking care not to touch it with their feet. It was easy
enough to follow, for the wire, if not bright, was self-coloured, and
showed clearly. They followed it out of the gateway and into the avenue
of Diana's Grove. Here a new gravity clouded Adam's face, though Mimi saw no cause for
fresh concern. This was easily enough explained. Adam knew of the
explosive works in progress regarding the well-hole, but the matter had
been kept from his wife. As they stood near the house, Adam asked Mimi
to return to the road, ostensibly to watch the course of the wire,
telling her that there might be a branch wire leading somewhere else. She
was to search the undergrowth, and if she found it, was to warn him by
the Australian native "Coo-ee!" Whilst they were standing together, there came a blinding flash of
lightning, which lit up for several seconds the whole area of earth and
sky.