go so fast," said Mrs.
Willoughby. "We can't catch up to them."

At this Dacres slackened his pace, and went on more carefully. She
again begged him to put her down. He again refused. Upon this she felt
perfectly helpless, and recalled, in a vague way, Minnie's ridiculous
question of "How would you like to be run away with by a great, big,
horrid man, Kitty darling?"

Then she began to think he was insane, and felt very anxious.

At last Dacres stopped. He was utterly exhausted. He was panting
terribly. It had been a fearful journey. He had run along the bank up
to that narrow valley which he had traversed the day before, and when
he stopped it was on the top of that precipice where he had formerly
rested, and where he had nurtured such dark purposes against Mrs.
Willoughby.

Mrs. Willoughby looked at him, full of pity. He was utterly broken
down by this last effort.

"Oh dear!" she thought. "Is he sane or insane? What _am_ I to do? It
is dreadful to have to go on and humor his queer fancies."

CHAPTER XXXVII.

MINNIE'S LAST LIFE-PRESERVER.

When Tozer started after Dacres he led Minnie by the hand for only a
little distance. On reaching the acclivity he seized her in his arms,
thus imitating Dacres's example, and rushed up, reaching the top
before the other. Then he plunged into the woods, and soon became
separated from his companion.

Once in the woods, he went along quite leisurely, carrying Minnie
without any difficulty, and occasionally addressing to her a soothing
remark, assuring her that she was safe. Minnie, however, made no
remark of any kind, good or bad, but remained quite silent, occupied
with her own thoughts. At length Tozer stopped and put her down. It
was a place upon the edge of a cliff on the shore of the lake, and as
much as a mile from the house. The cliff was almost fifty feet high,
and was perpendicular. All around was the thick forest, and it was
unlikely that such a place could be discovered.

[Illustration: "'WORSE AND WORSE,' SAID TOZER."]

"Here," said he; "we've got to stop here, and it's about the right
place. We couldn't get any where nigh to the soldiers without the
brigands seeing us; so we'll wait here till the fight's over, and the
brigands all chased off."

"The soldiers! what soldiers?" asked Minnie.

"Why, they're having a fight over there--the soldiers are attacking
the brigands."

"Well, I didn't know. Nobody told me. And did you come with the
soldiers?