ous fury at the sight of Gard and Nance.

Her black hair seemed all a-bristle. Her black eyes flamed. Her dark
face worked like a quicksand. Her skirts were wet to the waist. Her
jacket was open at the top, as though she had wrenched at it in a fit of
choking. Her strong bare throat throbbed convulsively. Her hands, half
closed at her side, looked as though they wanted something to claw.

"Did you do it?" she cried hoarsely, stalking up to Gard.

"Do what?"

"Kill him."

"Tom?... You don't mean to say--"

"You ought to know. He's there in the school-house, broken to a jelly
and his head staved in. And they say it's you he fought with last night.
The marks of it are on your face"--her voice rose to a scream--"Murderer!
Murderer! Murderer!"

"You wicked--thing!" cried Nance, pale to the lips.

"You--you--you!" foamed Julie. "You're as bad as he is. Because my man
tried to save you from that--murderer--"

"Oh, you--wicked!--You're crazy," cried Nance, rushing at her as though
to make an end of her.

And Julie, mad with the strain of the night's anxieties and their abrupt
and terrible ending, uncurled her claws and struck at her with a
snarl--tore off her sun-bonnet, and would have ripped up her face, if
Gard had not flung his arms round her from the back and dragged her
screaming and kicking towards her own door.

Mrs. Hamon had come running out at sound of the fray. Gard whirled the
mad woman into her own house and Mrs. Hamon followed her and closed the
door.

Gard turned to look for Nance.

She was nervously trying to tie on her sun-bonnet by one string.

"Nance, dear," he said, "you don't believe I had anything to do with
this?"

"Oh no, no! I'm sure you hadn't. But--"

"But?" he asked, looking down into the pale face and bright anxious
eyes.

"Oh, they may say you did it. They will think it. They are sure to think
it, and they are so--"

"Don't trouble about it, dear. I know no more about it than you do, and
they cannot get beyond that. Promise me you won't let it trouble you."

"Oh, I will try. But--"

"Have no fears on my account, Nance. I will go at once and tell them all
I know about it."

He pressed her hands reassuringly, and she went into the house with
downcast head and a face full of forebodings, and he set off at once for
Sark.

CHAPTER XVII

HOW TOM WENT TO SCHOOL FOR THE LAST TIME

Mrs. Tom had had a troubled night. Anxiety at her husband's continued
absence had in