hrown away.

At the same instant a piercing shriek from Eveline's room told that she was
alive to all that was passing.

Bill immediately drew a pistol and fired at Hadley, but the latter made a
quick movement to one side and avoided the bullet. Then the two sprang at
each other and closed in for a life struggle.

It was man to man with them, but Bill had the advantage of much practice,
and his strength being equal, his skill must finally gain him the victory,
unless fortune should greatly favor Hadley. Life was the prize at stake,
and every nerve and muscle was taxed to its utmost capacity. At length they
fell, Hadley being uppermost. The knife which had fallen from old Sampson's
hand, lay within reach, and Hadley stretched forth his hand to grasp it,
but as he did so, Bill, who was watching his opportunity, by a sudden and
tremendous effort, turned his antagonist, and seizing the knife, the moment
he felt his enemy safely beneath him, raised it for the fatal plunge at his
heart, and with an oath exclaimed:

"Die, now, like a dog! and be out of my way!"

But the words were scarcely uttered, when his uplifted hand relaxed its
grasp of the deadly weapon, and at the same precise point of time, a flash
and report told that a third party had taken part in the deadly conflict.
Bill fell over upon his dead companion a corpse, and springing to his feet,
Hadley stood face to face with Eveline! Each spoke the other's name, fell
into the other's arms, and Eveline fainted away! At this juncture Dick made
his appearance, and taking in the whole scene at a glance, hastened out and
soon returned with a vessel of water. Hadley took a handful of the fluid
and sprinkled Eveline's face, who soon revived.

We shall not attempt to describe the joy of the transported lovers. But the
family had been aroused by the unusual noise, and soon the wife and her two
daughters stood with the dead. In their horror and distress, Hadley and
Eveline forgot their happiness.

There was no more sleep for the inmates of that lonely dwelling that night,
and with the early dawn, the lovers, guided by Dick to a public road, left
the scene of death and wretchedness for home, where they arrived in
safety, the next evening, to the unspeakable joy of Mr. Mandeville, who had
just returned from a fruitless search after his daughter, in despair.

Dick went back and buried his dead companion, and old Sampson, after doing
which he left the country, and was never