372 THE HOME OF A NATURALIST. 



strange light in his eyes intensified, until she felt it 

 sinking into her very soul. 



Shrinking together, and feeling the life-blood slowly 

 chilling in her veins as that dark glance became more 

 and more fixed and fearful, Breeta yet strove to 

 break the oppressive silence. She felt sure that her 

 husband had overheard her not very flattering words 

 regarding himself, and the courage which besets the 

 •weakest creature on earth when it finds itself trapped 

 and brought to bay gave Breeta strength to speak. 

 "Ye started me, James," she said, "I did not hear 

 you coming, for the snow dills every sound." He 

 made no reply, only continued regarding her with a 

 fixed stern gaze ; and, shrinking within the doorway, 

 Breeta murmured — " It is very cold, very ! are you 

 coming in doors, just now ? " Still no word spake 

 Gertson, and a dread of she knew not what crept 

 over Breeta as, raising her voice, she said — " Do you 

 hear me speak to you, James ? Are you coming in, 

 or shall I shut the door ? " 



Never a word from James ! never a movement of lip 

 or brow ! — only that fixed gaze ! Yet, though he had 

 not moved one step forward, it seemed to Breeta that he 

 had approached much nearer to her in some mysterious 

 way. " He must be drunk or in a sleep," she thought. 

 Yet a certain awe stole over her as she looked at him. 

 There came just then a sudden lull in the storm as if 

 the tempest-fiend was preparing to gather all his strength 

 for a yet wilder onslaught upon tortured Nature ; and 

 in that pause there came once more across the wild 



