I must be feverish , ' he said to himself ; ` after all , it is rather dangerous to take a cold bath when one is feeling so hot . ' Yet he knew , while he said it , that he was counting the hours for night to come , that he might return to the forest . In the evening he went as usual to the creeper-covered house . But he had better have stayed away , as his face was so pale and his manner so strange , that the poor girl saw that something terrible had occurred . Alonzo , however , refused to answer any of her questions , and all she could get was a promise to hear everything the next day . On pretence of a violent headache , he left Julia much earlier than usual and hurried quickly home . Taking down a pistol , he loaded it and put it in his belt , and a little before midnight he stole out on the tips of his toes , so as to disturb nobody . Once outside he hastened down the road which led to the forest . He did not stop till he had reached the river pool , when holding the pistol in his hand , he looked about him . At every little noise -- the falling of a leaf , the rustle of an animal in the bushes , the cry of a night-bird -- he sprang up and cocked his pistol in the direction of the sound . But though the moon still shone he saw nothing , and by and by a kind of dreamy state seemed to steal over him as he leant against a tree . How long he remained in this condition he could not have told , but suddenly he awoke with a start , on hearing his name uttered softly . ` Who is that ? ' he cried , standing upright instantly ; but only an echo answered him . Then his eyes grew fascinated with the dark waters of the pool close to his feet , and he looked at it as if he could never look away . He gazed steadily into the depths for some minutes , when he became aware that down in the darkness was a bright spark , which got rapidly bigger and brighter . Again that feeling of awful fear took possession of him , and he tried to turn his eyes from the pool . But it was no use ; something stronger than himself compelled him to keep them there . At last the waters parted softly , and floating on the surface he saw the beautiful woman whom he had fled from only a few nights before . He turned to run , but his feet were glued to the spot .
She smiled at him and held out her arms , but as she did so there came over him the remembrance of Julia , as he had seen her a few hours earlier , and her warnings and fears for the very danger XXXXX which he now found himself .
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