Part 67 (2/2)

”Mrs Co_,” said Potts, ”and that is _the secret about her_ She knows nothing irl have found out about the Thug business?” exclaimed John

There was no reply

”She's a deep one,” said John, ”d--d deep--deeper than I ever thought

I always said she was plucky--cursed plucky--but now I see she's deep too--and I begin to have ht to be took down”

”I never could in to understand how she could know that which only we have known Do you think, Clark, that the devil could have told her of it?”

”Yes,” said Clark ”nobody but the devil could have told her that, and my belief is that she's the devil himself She's the only person I ever felt afraid of D--n it, I can't look her in the face”

Beatrice retreated and passed across to the opposite wall She did not wish to see or hear lided by She was not noticed She heard John's voice--sharp and clear--

”We'll have to begin to-morrow and take her down--that's a fact” This was followed by silence

Beatrice reached the door She turned the knob Oh, joy! it was not locked It opened

Noiselessly she passed through; noiselessly she shut it behind her She was outside She was free

The htly It illumined the lawn in front and the tops of the clue rose before her She saw all this; yet, in her eagerness to escape, she saw nothing more, but sped aiftly down the steps, across the lawn, and under the shade of the trees

Which way should she go? There was the ate and the porter's lodge There was also another path which the servants generally took This led to the gate also Beatrice thought that by going down this path she ate and then turn off to the wall and try and cliht were sufficient for her decision She took the path and went hurriedly along, keeping on the side where the shadoas thickest

She walked swiftly, until at length she came to a place where the path ended It was close by the porter's lodge Here she paused to consider

Late as it was there were lights in the lodge and voices at the door

So with the porter Suddenly the voices ceased and atoward the place where she stood

To dart into the thick trees where the shadow lay deepest was the work of a moment She stood and watched But the underbrush was dense, and the crackling which she made attracted the man's attention He stopped for a ht toward the place where she was

Beatrice gave herself up for lost She rushed on wildly, not knohere she went Behind her was the sound of her pursuer He followed resolutely and relentlessly There was no refuge for her but continued flight

Onward she sped, and still onward, through the dense underbrush, which at every step gave notice of the direction which she had taken Perhaps if she had been wiser she would have plunged into sorowth of trees into the midst of absolute darkness and there remained still As it was she did not think of this Escape was her only thought, and the only way to this seeht

So she fled; and after her cas to her feet She fled on through the underbrush that crackled as she passed and gave notice of her track through the dark, dense groves; yet still aloom her pursuer followed

[Illustration: ”ONWARD SHE SPED, AND STILL ONWARD, THROUGH THE DENSE UNDERBRUSH”]

At last, through utter weakness and weariness, she sank down Despair came over her She could do no loorove that for so of the underbrush all around He was searching for her

She crouched do and scarcely dared to breathe She took refuge in the deep darkness, and deterive up his search At last all was still

Beatrice thought that he had gone Yet in her fear she waited for what seemed to her an interminable period At last she ventured to make a movement Slowly and cautiously she rose to her feet and advanced She did not knohat direction to take; but she walked on, not caring where she went so long as she could escape pursuit

Scarcely had she taken twenty steps when she heard a noise Soht she had beentiain It was close by She stood still for many minutes