il pleaded together, taking hold of the girl's hands to lead her away.

"I am sorry," interposed Judge Hilliard, speaking to the girls, "but we
can't take her away at once. We must observe the law. Muldoon,"
continued the Judge as he took a document out of his pocket and handed
it to the sailor, "of course you know that you can not force this girl
to marry against her will whether she is of age or not, but, aside from
that, here is an order of court directing you to show cause why the
girl should not be taken from you upon the ground of cruelty and
neglect. The case will be heard in the court at the county seat of
Anne Arundel County five days hence, the 30th of the month. You will,
of course, be expected to prove that the girl is your daughter. This
order also contains an injunction forbidding you to take the girl out
of this jurisdiction within that time. These officers will remain here
to see that the order of the court is carried out. If you make any
attempt to remove the girl from this vicinity, you will be arrested at
once."

"And now, ladies," said Judge Hilliard, turning to the girls, "we will
go aboard the 'Greyhound'."

"I say, Judge," broke in Muldoon, starting hurriedly after Judge
Hilliard, "I don't want to get mixed up in the law. I'll tell you
something if you won't be too hard on me. Moll isn't my daughter! I
picked her up almost drowned on a beach on the coast of Florida. My
first old woman took a liking for the kid, so we just kept her. We
didn't intend her any harm. That was ten or twelve years ago."

Judge Hilliard did not appear to be surprised; in fact, he had expected
some such statement.

"Your confession," said he, speaking to Muldoon, "is all we need to
enable us to take this girl away. Under the circumstances, it will not
be necessary to serve this paper," he continued, taking the order of
court away from Muldoon. "We shall take the girl with us now.
Muldoon, see to it that you don't get into any other trouble. You are
getting off easily. Your carrying off these two young ladies under
false pretence and depositing them against their will in an unknown
place, as you did last night, is very much like abduction, and
abduction is a penitentiary offence."

There being nothing left to do, Judge Hilliard and his party, now
including the rescued Mollie, went aboard the "Greyhound" and steamed
away toward the houseboat.

CHAPTER XX

MADGE'S OPPORTUNITY

Mollie slipped