They followed the carriage with their eyes until it was swiftly lost to sight in the misty wood; and the very sound of the hoofs and the wheels died away in the silent night air.

Nothing remained to assure them that the adventure hadn’t been an illusion of the moment but the young man, who just at that moment opened his eyes. Jongwoon couldn’t see, for his face was turned away from him, but the young man raised his head, evidently looking about him, and Jongwoon heard a very sweet voice ask complainingly, “where is noona?”

Taeyeon answered tenderly, and added some comfortable assurances. Jongwoon then heard her ask: “where am I? What is this place?” After that he said, “I don’t see the carriage; and noona, where is she?”

Taeyeon answered all his questions in so far as she understood them; and gradually the young man remembered how the misadventure came about, and was glad to hear that no one in, or in attendance on, the carriage was hurt; and on learning that his noona had left him there, until her return in about three months, he wept.

Jongwoon was going to add his consolations to those of Taeyeon when Yoona placed her hand upon his arm, saying: “don’t approach, one at a time is as much as he can at present conserve with; a very little excitement would possibly overpower him now.”

As soon as the young man was comfortably in bed, Jongwoon thought, he should run up to his room and see him.

In the meantime, Jongwoon's father had sent a servant on horseback for the physician, who lived about two leagues away and wasn’t Jongjin, who was simply a physician in training, but their father thought it might be good experience for Jongjin. And a bedroom was being prepared for the young man's reception.

The stranger now rose, and leaning on Taeyeon's arm, walked slowly over the drawbridge and into the castle gate.

In the hall, servants waited to receive him, and he was conducted forthwith to his newly prepared room.

The long room, which was usually the Kims' drawing-room, had four windows, looking over the moat and drawbridge, upon the forest scene Jongwoon had just described.

It was furnished in old carved oak, with large carved cabinets, and the chairs were cushioned with crimson velvet. The walls were covered with several tapestries, and surrounded with great gold frames, the figures being as large as life, in ancient and very curious costume, and the subjects represented are hunting, hawking, and generally festive. It wasn’t too stately to be extremely comfortable; and here the Kims had our tea, for with their father's usual patriotic leanings, he insisted that the national beverage should make its appearance regularly with their coffee and chocolate.

They sat there the very same night, and with candles lighted, were talking over the adventure of the evening.

Taeyeon and Yoona had joined them in the drawing room. The young stranger had hardly lain down in his bed when he sank into a deep sleep; and those ladies had left him in the care of a servant.

"How do you like our guest?" Jongwoon asked, as soon as the two ladies entered. "Tell me all about him?"

"I like him extremely," answered Taeyeon, "he is, I almost think, the handsomest creature I ever saw; about your age, and so gentle and nice."

"He is absolutely beautiful," threw in Yoona, who had peeped for a moment into the stranger's room.

"And such a sweet voice!" added Taeyeon.

"Did you remark what an ill-looking pack of men the servants were?" asked Taeyeon.

"Yes," said Jongjin, who had just come in, "ugly looking fellows, as ever I beheld in my life. I hope they don’t rob the poor lady in the forest. They are clever rogues."

"I dare say they are worn out with too long travelling," said Yoona. "Besides looking wicked, their faces were so strangely sullen. I am very curious; but I dare say the young man will tell us all about it to-morrow, if he is sufficiently recovered."

"I don't think he will," said Jongjin, with a mysterious smile, and a little nod of his head, as if he knew more about it than he cared to tell the rest of them.

This only made Jongwoon all the more inquisitive as to what had passed between Jongjin and the lady in the black velvet, in the brief but earnest interview that had immediately preceded her departure.

The brothers were scarcely alone, when Jongwoon entreated Jongjin to tell him. He didn’t need much pressing, thankfully.

"There is no particular reason why I should not tell you. She expressed a reluctance to trouble us with the care of her brother, saying he was in delicate health? And nervous, but not subject to any kind of seizure—she volunteered that—nor to any illusion; being, in fact, perfectly sane."

"How very odd to say all that!" Jongwoon interpolated. "It was so unnecessary."

“She then told me she was making a long journey of v