ance
creeping, doubtless with gun before him, under the instrument. Peyton
sank to his knees, placed his shoulder under the back edge of the
spinet's projection, and, warding off a downward movement of Colden's
sword, turned the instrument over on its side, checking the creeping
man under it, and throwing the other fellow to the floor some feet
away. As the spinet fell, one of its legs, rising swiftly into the
air, knocked Colden's blade upward, and the Tory leaped back lest
Peyton might avail himself of the opening. But the spinet-leg itself
hindered Peyton from doing so. Colden rushed forward again, thrusting
as he did so. Peyton leaped aside, made a swift half-turn, and landed
a stroke on Colden's sword-hand, making the Tory cry out and drop the
sword. Harry put his foot on it and cried:

"You're at my mercy! Beg quarter!"

But the man who had been thrown from the top of the spinet now
returned to the attack, coming around that end of the upset instrument
which was opposite the end where Colden had menaced Harry. Seeing this
new adversary, Harry retreated past Colden, in order to put himself in
position. The soldier hastened after him, with upraised musket. At
this moment, Peyton saw himself confronted by Elizabeth, who pulled
open the door of the south hall. He stopped short to avoid running
against her.

"Save yourself!" she cried, and pushed him through the open doorway,
flinging the door shut upon him, a movement which the pursuing
soldier, stayed for a moment by collision with Colden, was not in time
to prevent. Harry heard the key move in the lock, and knew that
Elizabeth had turned it, and that he was safe in the south hall, with
a minute of vantage which he might employ as he would.

Elizabeth withdrew the key from the locked door, just as the pursuing
soldier arrived at that door. The man, in his excitement, violently
tried to open the door. Colden, who was wrapping a handkerchief around
his wounded hand, shouted to the man:

"You fool, she has the key! Take it from her!"

"You shall kill me first!" she cried, and ran from the man towards the
open window, stepping over the prostrate bodies of Sam and Williams as
she went.

"After her! She'll throw it into the snow!" cried Colden.

This much Harry heard through the door, and heard also the heavy tread
of the soldier's feet in pursuit of the girl. His mind imaged forth a
momentary picture of the fellow's rough hands laid on the delicate
arms of Eliz