verything arranged in order."

With this the villains parted, Bill going out of the passage, and Dick into
the cave.

To all this Eveline was an absorbed, but to them unknown, listener. How the
great hope of the morning died in her bosom, as the fearful truth was
revealed to her, that another snare was laid to entangle her feet--that her
newly found friends were but enemies in disguise. Instead of liberators,
who would restore her to home and friends, they were vile miscreants,
destining her to a fate no better than that which now surrounded her, and
removed still further from the possibility of succor. For a little time she
clung to the hope that Dick would hold out in her behalf; but this last
prop was taken away, and she felt that there was no help from any quarter,
and that self-dependence was her only safeguard.

Ah, how desolate was her heart in that hour! How like a lone reed in the
pelting tempest did she feel herself to be! Surrounded by enemies on all
hands, a prisoner in a dungeon, with no friendly arm to lean upon, no kind
voice of sympathy to encourage and strengthen her, she felt almost like
giving over the struggle, and lying down to die where she stood.

But this feeling of despondency was of short duration. Arousing to a lively
sense of her situation, this apathy was thrown off, and the native energy
of purpose which she had exhibited so strikingly on former occasions,
quickened her spirit and restored vigor to her frame. Immediately she began
to collect her thoughts, and cast about to see if there was no way of
escape from this new danger. At first she thought of making a confidant of
Duffel, and throwing herself upon his generosity; but remembering all that
he had done, she felt that this would be vain, so far as _she_ was
concerned, while it might save _him_ from merited exposure and punishment;
and so she at once abandoned the idea.

In the midst of perplexity and doubt, the thought struck her with the
vividness of a flash of intelligence, that the passage she was in might
communicate with the outer world! The very suggestion caused her to heave a
sigh of relief. What so probable as this supposition? At any rate she had
something to do, a definite object to call forth her energies; and this was
no small matter, in the state of mind under which she was laboring at that
hour.

Raising her lamp to a level with her face, she passed the light close to
the wall, scrutinizing every spot, to see if the