’Areyoualone？’saidGertrude。SheseemedtobenolessharassedandanxiousthanBrookherself。
　　’Yes，’saidRhoda。
　　’Theplaceonmyarmseemsworse，andtroublesme！’theyoungfarmer’swifewenton。’Itissomysterious！Idohopeitwillnotbeanincurablewound。IhaveagainbeenthinkingofwhattheysaidaboutConjurorTrendle。Idon’treallybelieveinsuchmen，butI
　　shouldnotmindjustvisitinghim，fromcuriosity——thoughonnoaccountmustmyhusbandknow。Isitfartowherehelives？’
　　’Yes——fivemiles，’saidRhodabackwardly。’IntheheartofEgdon。’
　　’Well，Ishouldhavetowalk。Couldnotyougowithmetoshowmetheway——sayto-morrowafternoon？’
　　’O，notI——thatis，’themilkwomanmurmured，withastartofdismay。
　　Againthedreadseizedherthatsomethingtodowithherfierceactinthedreammightberevealed，andhercharacterintheeyesofthemostusefulfriendshehadeverhadberuinedirretrievably。
　　Mrs。Lodgeurged，andRhodafinallyassented，thoughwithmuchmisgiving。Sadasthejourneywouldbetoher，shecouldnotconscientiouslystandinthewayofapossibleremedyforherpatron’sstrangeaffliction。Itwasagreedthat，toescapesuspicionoftheirmysticintent，theyshouldmeetattheedgeoftheheathatthecornerofaplantationwhichwasvisiblefromthespotwheretheynowstood。
　　BythenextafternoonRhodawouldhavedoneanythingtoescapethisinquiry。Butshehadpromisedtogo。Moreover，therewasahorridfascinationattimesinbecominginstrumentalinthrowingsuchpossiblelightonherowncharacteraswouldrevealhertobesomethinggreaterintheoccultworldthanshehadeverherselfsuspected。
　　Shestartedjustbeforethetimeofdaymentionedbetweenthem，andhalf-an-hour’sbriskwalkingbroughthertothesouth-easternextensionoftheEgdontractofcountry，wherethefirplantationwas。Aslightfigure，cloakedandveiled，wasalreadythere。Rhodarecognized，almostwithashudder，thatMrs。Lodgeboreherleftarminasling。
　　Theyhardlyspoketoeachother，andimmediatelysetoutontheirclimbintotheinteriorofthissolemncountry，whichstoodhighabovetherichalluvialsoiltheyhadlefthalf-an-hourbefore。Itwasalongwalk；thickcloudsmadetheatmospheredark，thoughitwasasyetonlyearlyafternoon；andthewindhowleddismallyoverthehillsoftheheath——notimprobablythesameheathwhichhadwitnessedtheagonyoftheWessexKingIna，presentedtoafter-agesasLear。GertrudeLodgetalkedmost，Rhodareplyingwithmonosyllabicpreoccupation。Shehadastrangedisliketowalkingonthesideofhercompanionwherehungtheafflictedarm，movingroundtotheotherwheninadvertentlynearit。Muchheatherhadbeenbrushedbytheirfeetwhentheydescendeduponacart-track，besidewhichstoodthehouseofthemantheysought。
　　Hedidnotprofesshisremedialpracticesopenly，orcareanythingabouttheircontinuance，hisdirectinterestsbeingthoseofadealerinfurze，turf，’sharpsand，’andotherlocalproducts。
　　Indeed，heaffectednottobelievelargelyinhisownpowers，andwhenwartsthathadbeenshownhimforcuremiraculouslydisappeared——whichitmustbeownedtheyinfalliblydid——hewouldsaylightly，’O，Ionlydrinkaglassofgrogupon’em——perhapsit’sallchance，’andimmediatelyturnthesubject。
　　Hewasathomewhentheyarrived，havinginfactseenthemdescendingintohisvalley。Hewasagray-beardedman，withareddishface，andhelookedsingularlyatRhodathefirstmomenthebeheldher。Mrs。Lodgetoldhimhererrand；andthenwithwordsofself-disparagementheexaminedherarm。
　　’Medicinecan’tcureit，’hesaidpromptly。’’Tistheworkofanenemy。’
　　Rhodashrankintoherself，anddrewback。
　　’Anenemy？Whatenemy？’askedMrs。Lodge。
　　Heshookhishead。’That’sbestknowntoyourself，’hesaid。’Ifyoulike，Icanshowthepersontoyou，thoughIshallnotmyselfknowwhoitis。Icandonomore；anddon’twishtodothat。’
　　Shepressedhim；onwhichhetoldRhodatowaitoutsidewhereshestood，andtookMrs。Lodgeintotheroom。Itopenedimmediatelyfromthedoor；and，asthelatterremainedajar，RhodaBrookcouldseetheproceedingswithouttakingpartinthem。Hebroughtatumblerfromthedresser，nearlyfilleditwithwater，andfetchinganegg，prepareditinsomeprivateway；afterwhichhebrokeitontheedgeoftheglass，sothatthewhitewentinandtheyolkremained。Asitwasgettinggloomy，hetooktheglassanditscontentstothewindow，andtoldGertrudetowatchthemclosely。
　　Theyleantoverthetabletogether，andthemilkwomancouldseetheopalinehueoftheegg-fluidchangingformasitsankinthewater，butshewasnotnearenoughtodefinetheshapethatitassumed。
　　’Doyoucatchthelikenessofanyfaceorfigureasyoulook？’
　　demandedtheconjuroroftheyoungwoman。
　　Shemurmuredareply，intonessolowastobeinaudibletoRhoda，andcontinuedtogazeintentlyintotheglass。Rhodaturned，andwalkedafewstepsaway。
　　WhenMrs。Lodgecameout，andherfacewasmetbythelight，itappearedexceedinglypale——aspaleasRhoda’s——againstthesaddunshadesoftheupland’sgarniture。Trendleshutthedoorbehindher，andtheyatoncestartedhomewardtogether。ButRhodaperceivedthathercompanionhadquitechanged。
　　’Didhechargemuch？’sheaskedtentatively。
　　’Ono——nothing。Hewouldnottakeafarthing，’saidGertrude。
　　’Andwhatdidyousee？’inquiredRhoda。
　　’NothingI——caretospeakof。’Theconstraintinhermannerwasremarkable；herfacewassorigidastowearanoldenedaspect，faintlysuggestiveofthefaceinRhoda’sbed-chamber。
　　’Wasityouwhofirstproposedcominghere？’Mrs。Lodgesuddenlyinquired，afteralongpause。’Howveryodd，ifyoudid！’
　　’No。ButIamnotsorrywehavecome，allthingsconsidered，’shereplied。Forthefirsttimeasenseoftriumphpossessedher，andshedidnotaltogetherdeplorethattheyoungthingathersideshouldlearnthattheirliveshadbeenantagonizedbyotherinfluencesthantheirown。
　　Thesubjectwasnomorealludedtoduringthelonganddrearywalkhome。Butinsomewayorotherastorywaswhisperedaboutthemany-dairiedlowlandthatwinterthatMrs。Lodge’sgraduallossoftheuseofherleftarmwasowingtoherbeing’overlooked’byRhodaBrook。Thelatterkeptherowncounselabouttheincubus，butherfacegrewsadderandthinner；andinthespringsheandherboydisappearedfromtheneighbourhoodofHolmstoke。
　　Half-a-dozenyearspassedaway，andMr。andMrs。Lodge’smarriedexperiencesankintoprosiness，andworse。Thefarmerwasusuallygloomyandsilent:thewomanwhomhehadwooedforhergraceandbeautywascontortedanddisfiguredintheleftlimb；moreover，shehadbroughthimnochild，whichrendereditlikelythathewouldbethelastofafamilywhohadoccupiedthatvalleyforsometwohundredyears。HethoughtofRhodaBrookandherson；andfearedthismightbeajudgmentfromheavenuponhim。
　　Theonceblithe-heartedandenlightenedGertrudewaschangingintoanirritable，superstitiouswoman，whosewholetimewasgiventoexperimentinguponherailmentwitheveryquackremedyshecameacross。Shewashonestlyattachedtoherhusband，andwaseversecretlyhopingagainsthopetowinbackhisheartagainbyregainingsomeatleastofherpersonalbeauty。Henceitarosethatherclosetwaslinedwithbottles，packets，andointment-potsofeverydescription——nay，bunchesofmysticherbs，charms，andbooksofnecromancy，whichinherschoolgirltimeshewouldhaveridiculedasfolly。
　　’Damnedifyouwon’tpoisonyourselfwiththeseapothecarymessesandwitchmixturessometimeorother，’saidherhusband，whenhiseyechancedtofalluponthemultitudinousarray。
　　Shedidnotreply，butturnedhersad，softglanceuponhiminsuchheart-swollenreproachthathelookedsorryforhiswords，andadded，’Ionlymeantitforyourgood，youknow，Gertrude。’
　　’I’llclearoutthewholelot，anddestroythem，’saidshehuskily，’andtrysuchremediesnomore！’
　　’Youwantsomebodytocheeryou，’heobserved。’Ioncethoughtofadoptingaboy；butheistoooldnow。AndheisgoneawayIdon’tknowwhere。’
　　Sheguessedtowhomhealluded；forRhodaBrook’sstoryhadinthecourseofyearsbecomeknowntoher；thoughnotawordhadeverpassedbetweenherhusbandandherselfonthesubject。NeitherhadsheeverspokentohimofhervisittoConjurorTrendle，andofwhatwasrevealedtoher，orshethoughtwasrevealedtoher，bythatsolitaryheath-man。
　　Shewasnowfive-and-twenty；butsheseemedolder。
　　’Sixyearsofmarriage，andonlyafewmonthsoflove，’shesometimeswhisperedtoherself。Andthenshethoughtoftheapparentcause，andsaid，withatragicglanceatherwitheringlimb，’IfIcouldonlyagainbeasIwaswhenhefirstsawme！’
　　Sheobedientlydestroyedhernostrumsandcharms；butthereremainedahankeringwishtotrysomethingelse——someothersortofcurealtogether。ShehadneverrevisitedTrendlesinceshehadbeenconductedtothehouseofthesolitarybyRhodaagainstherwill；
　　butitnowsuddenlyoccurredtoGertrudethatshewould，inalastdesperateeffortatdeliverancefromthisseemingcurse，againseekouttheman，ifheyetlived。Hewasentitledtoacertaincredence，fortheindistinctformhehadraisedintheglasshadundoubtedlyresembledtheonlywomanintheworldwho——asshenowknew，thoughnotthen——couldhaveareasonforbearingherill-will。
　　Thevisitshouldbepaid。
　　Thistimeshewentalone，thoughshenearlygotlostontheheath，androamedaconsiderabledistanceoutofherway。Trendle’shousewasreachedatlast，however:hewasnotindoors，andinsteadofwaitingatthecottage，shewenttowherehisbentfigurewaspointedouttoheratworkalongwayoff。Trendlerememberedher，andlayingdownthehandfuloffurze-rootswhichhewasgatheringandthrowingintoaheap，heofferedtoaccompanyherinherhomewarddirection，asthedistancewasconsiderableandthedayswereshort。Sotheywalkedtogether，hisheadbowednearlytotheearth，andhisformofacolourwithit。
　　’YoucansendawaywartsandotherexcrescencesIknow，’shesaid；
　　’whycan’tyousendawaythis？’Andthearmwasuncovered。
　　’Youthinktoomuchofmypowers！’saidTrendle；’andIamoldandweaknow，too。No，no；itistoomuchformetoattemptinmyownperson。Whathaveyetried？’
　　Shenamedtohimsomeofthehundredmedicamentsandcounterspellswhichshehadadoptedfromtimetotime。Heshookhishead。
　　’Someweregoodenough，’hesaidapprovingly；’butnotmanyofthemforsuchasthis。Thisisofthenatureofablight，notofthenatureofawound；andifyoueverdothrowitoff；itwillbeallatonce。’
　　’IfIonlycould！’