track with dazzling
light. For a moment the girl hesitated, but when Lister went down the
steps she gave him her hand and jumped. Lister felt her tremble and was
himself conscious of some excitement. He did not know if he was rash or
not, but since she meant to go, speed was important, because the man
from whom she wanted to escape might see them on the line. He went to
the waiting engine in front of a long row of ballast cars, on which a
big gravel plough loomed faintly in the dark.

"Who's on board?" he asked.

A man he knew looked out from the cab window.

"Hallo, Mr. Lister! I'm on board with Jake. We're going to Malcolm cut
for gravel. Washout's mixed things; operator reckoned he could rush us
through--"

"Then you'll stop and get water at the tank," Lister interrupted. "Will
you make it before the East-bound comes along?"

"We ought to make it half-an-hour ahead. Wires all right that way.
Nothing's on the road."

Lister turned to the girl. "If you're going East you must buy a new
ticket at Malcolm. Have you money?"

"I have some--" she said and stopped, and Lister imagined she had not
until then thought about money and had not much.

"You'll take this lady to Malcolm, Roberts, and put her down where she
can get to the station," he said to the engineer. "Nobody will see you
have a passenger, but if the agent's curious, I'll fix the thing with
him."

It was breaking rules, but the man knew Lister, and Lister knew he could
be trusted. He took some bills from his wallet, and as he helped the
girl up the steps pushed the paper into her hand.

She turned to the cab door, and Lister imagined she was hardly conscious
of the money he had given her. Her color was high but her look indicated
keen relief.

"Oh!" she said, "I owe you much! You don't know all you have done. I
will not forget--"

Somebody waved a lantern, a whistle shrieked, and the locomotive bell
began to toll. Lister jumped back and seized the rails above the
platform steps as the car lurched forward. They moved faster, the beam
of the head-lamp faded, and the train rolled on into the dark.

CHAPTER V

SHILLITO GETS AWAY

When the train started Lister did not go to his berth. His curiosity was
excited and he wondered whether he had been rash. Now he came to think
about it, the girl was attractive, and perhaps this to some extent
accounted for his willingness to help. Moreover she was young, and it
was possible her relations had put h