Why had he been skulking on the most lonely part of the lake?
And now, recalling again the man's face, he believed that he had had an evil design.
Courthope pursued his way; for, whether the thief had gone farther or remained in this vicinity, it was evidently desirable to have help from the nearest neighbours to seek and capture him.

Courthope soon reached what seemed to be a dip or hollow in the plain; in this the wind had been very busy levelling the surface with the higher ground.

At first he supposed that, for some reason, road and fences had come to an abrupt ending; then he discovered that he merely walked higher above the natural level.

The thought came to him that if here he should break his snow-shoes there would not even be the neighbouring fence-top on which to perch and freeze.
Suddenly all his attention was concentrated upon a dark something, like a bit of cloth fallen in the snow.

As he came close and touched the cloth he found it to be the covering of a basket almost buried; pushing away the snow-crusted covering and feeling with eager fingers among the icy contents, he quickly knew that this was no other than the stolen silver of which he was in quest.