always sat, came a long, low wail.
Evalani started and turned, and Dick strained his eyes into the gloom.
Again came the wail, long and eerie and broken by chanted words, like the Hawaiian wail for the dead. And out of the corner came the gaunt, dark form of the old woman, in her long black holoku, her arms waving back and forth over her head. Her voice raised to a higher pitched wail and she advanced menacingly toward Evalani, her words coming with catchings of breath and breaking of tone, as of one weeping and chanting at the same time. Evalani shrank away, her hands to her breast and the woman came and stood over her, continuing her chant, sometimes as if pleading, and again as if calling down maledictions upon the girl's head. For several moments the old woman stood above her, seemingly threatening, appealing, pouring forth a flood of rapid, wailing syllables; but the girl only shrank away and reiterated "I cannot! Oh, I cannot! There is no way! There is no way!"
Presently the old woman fell silent and stood staring down at the cowering girl. Then she shook her head slowly and taking up her wail again, she turned back to her corner and melted into the shadows. And the girl only sat with her face in her hands, sobbing heavily.
Dick rose up to go. "I am sorry," he said "I am afraid that I have precipitated something difficult
