ot on the lowest stair.

Then he hesitated.

Dacres stood in the shadow of the other doorway, which was nearer to
the head of the stairs, and prepared to spring as soon as the stranger
should come within reach. But the stranger delayed still.

At length he spoke:

"Hallo, up there!"

The sound of those simple words produced an amazing effect upon the
hearers. Dacres sprang down with a cry of joy. "Come, come!" he
shouted to the ladies; "friends are here!" And running down the
stairs, he reached the bottom and grasped the stranger by both arms.

In the dim light he could detect a tall, slim, sinewy form, with long,
black, ragged hair and white neck-tie.

"You'd best get out of this, and quick, too," said the Rev. Saul
Tozer. "They're all off now, but they'll be back here in less than no
time. I jest thought I'd look in to see if any of you folks was
around."

By this time the ladies were both at the bottom of the stairs.

"Come!" said Tozer; "hurry up, folks. I'll take one lady and you take
t'other."

"Do you know the woods?"

"Like a book."

"So do I," said Dacres.

He grasped Mrs. Willoughby's hand and started.

"But Minnie!" said Mrs. Willoughby.

"You had better let him take her; it's safer for all of us," said
Dacres.

Mrs. Willoughby looked back as she was dragged on after Dacres, and
saw Tozer following them, holding Minnie's hand. This reassured her.

Dacres dragged her on to the foot of the bank. Here she tried to keep
up with him, but it was steep, and she could not.

Whereupon Dacres stopped, and, without a word, raised her in his arms
as though she were a little child, and ran up the bank. He plunged
into the woods. Then he ran on farther. Then he turned and doubled.

Mrs. Willoughby begged him to put her down.

"No," said he; "they are behind us. You can not go fast enough. I
should have to wait and defend you, and then we would both be lost."

"But, oh! we are losing Minnie."

"No, we are not," cried Dacres; "that man is ten times stronger than I
am. He is a perfect elephant in strength. He dashed past me up the
hill."

"I didn't see him."

"Your face was turned the other way. He is ahead of us now somewhere."

"Oh, I wish we _could_ catch up to him."

[Illustration: "AT THIS DACRES RUSHED ON FASTER."]

At this Dacres rushed on faster. The effort was tremendous. He leaped
over fallen timbers, he burst through the underbrush.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll _kill_ yourself if you