elf struggling in
the grasp of two excited Frenchmen. He cursed both them and Marigny
fluently, and vowed the most horrible vengeance on all three, but soon
calmed himself sufficiently to see that Count Edouard could not stir,
and his perturbed wits then sought to learn the extent of his master's
injury. Still he swore at Marigny.

"Damn you!" he cried hoarsely, "you would have stabbed him as he was
lying there if these pals of yours hadn't stopped you!"

At last, recovering some degree of self-possession, he assisted the
astounded and rather frightened Frenchmen to carry Medenham to the
waiting carriage. One, who spoke English, asked him to help in
rendering a like service to Marigny, but he refused with an oath, and
the others dared not press him, he looked so fierce and threatening.

"Is he dead?" he asked the doctor brokenly.

There could be no mistaking the meaning of the words, for his red-shot
eyes glared fixedly at the limp body of his master. The other shook
his head, but pointed in the direction of Calais, as though to
suggest that the sooner the injured man was taken to some place where
his wound could be properly attended to, the better would be the
faint chance of life that remained. By this time the seconds were
approaching, and Marigny had seemingly recovered to a slight extent
from the knockout blow which he had received so unexpectedly.

The doctor, who was the only self-collected person present, pointed to
the bicycle.

"Hotel," he said emphatically. "Go hotel--quick!"

Dale was minded not to desert his master, but the anxiety in the
doctor's face warned him that the request ought to be obeyed. If the
spark of vitality still flickering in Medenham's body was to be
preserved not a moment should be lost in preparing a room for his
reception.

Gulping down his anguish, Dale mounted and made off. At a distant bend
in the road he turned his head and looked back along that dismal
heath. All five were packed in the cab, and the coachman was urging
the unwilling horse into a trot.

* * * * *

And what of Cynthia?

The break in the weather was the one thing needed to put an abrupt end
to all pretense of enjoyment so far as the Windermere tourists were
concerned. Strained relations existed from the moment Vanrenen arrived
at Chester. For the first time in her life, Cynthia thought that her
father was not acting with the open-eyed justice which she expected
from him,