ed
no special meaning to her.

But there was an agony of suspense and beseeching in the glance that
her lover cast upon her; and to that appeal she smiled proudly. Hers
were no true love, she felt, were its confidence shaken by the
slandering of anger. Then the thought of his danger, danger admitted
by his own lips, flashed upon her with terror. She rushed to him,

"Oh go, Jack, go!--As you love me, go!"

Mr. Landale, who had already once or twice cast impatient looks of
expectation through a window of the east wall, taken by surprise at
this unforeseen result of his speech, suddenly climbed up upon a
broken piece of stone-work, from which there was an abrupt descent
towards the shore, and began to signal in eager gesticulation. There
was a sound of heavy running footfalls without. Captain Jack raised
his head, every nerve on the alert.

"Go, go," again cried Madeleine, dreading she knew not what.--A fat
panting red face looked over the wall; Mr. Landale turned for a second
to throw at the lovers a glance of elation.

But it seemed as if the sailor's spirits rose at the breath of danger.
He rapidly looked round upon the ruins from which there were no other
outlets than the window guarded by Mr. Landale, and the doorway in
which the red-faced new-comer now stood, framed in red stone; then,
like a cat he darted on to the ledge of the wall at the opposite end,
where some invading boughs of larch dropped over the jagged crest,
before the burly figure in the blue coat of the preventive service had
recovered from the surprise of finding a lady in his way, or gathered
his wits and his breath sufficiently to interfere.

There the nimble climber stood a moment balancing himself lightly,
though the ivied stones rocked beneath him.

"I go, love," he cried in ringing voice, "but one word from you and I
go----"

"Oh, I trust you! I will trust you!" screamed the girl in despair,
while her fascinated gaze clung to the erect figure silhouetted
against the sky and the stout man looked up, open-mouthed. Mr. Landale
snarled at him:

"Shoot, fool--shoot!" And straining forward, himself drew a pistol
from the man's belt, cocked it and thrust it into his grasp.

Captain Jack kissed his hand to Madeleine with a joyful gesture, then
waved his hat defiantly in Rupert's direction, and with a spring
disappeared, just as the pistol cracked, drawing a shriek of terror
from the girl, and its bullet flattened itself against the upper sto