box.

"Stop!" said Mary. "Fair play's a jewel. There are three of you at the
table. Will you not let the old man have one chance to win back his
gold?"

"The Devil!" cried Mathews, dropping the box, and staggering to his seat,
a universal tremor perceptible in his huge limbs. "Where--where is he?"

"At your elbow," said Mary. "Don't you see him frown and shake his head
at you? How fast the blood pours down from the wound in his head! It is
staining all your clothes. Get up, William, and give the poor old man
the chair."

"Don't mind her, Mathews, she is raving," said Godfrey. "Do you see
anything?"

"I thought I saw a long, bony, mutilated hand, flitting to and fro, over
the gold. Ah! there it is again," said Mathews, starting from his chair.
"You may keep the money, for may I be hanged if I will touch it. Leave
this accursed place and yon croaking fiend. Let us join the boys down
stairs, and drink and sing, and drive away care."

And so the murderers departed, leaving the poor girl alone with the
gold, but they took good care to lock the door after them. When they
were gone, Mary threw an old cloak about her, which formed part of the
covering to the bed, and stepped upon the floor.

"They are gone," she said; "I have acted my part well. But, alas, this
is no place for me. I am called upon by God himself to save the
innocent, and the mission shall be performed, even at the expense of my
worthless life.

"They think not that I followed them to the spot--that, weak as I am,
God has given me strength to witness against them. I feel ill, very
ill," she continued, putting her hand to her head. "But if I could only
reach the Lodge, and inform Captain Whitmore, or Miss Juliet, it might
be the means of saving his life. At all events, I will try."

As she passed the gold that glittered in the moonbeams, she paused. "I
want money for my journey. Shall I take aught of the accursed thing? No.
I will trust in Providence to supply my wants. I have read somewhere
that misery travels free."

Then slowly putting on her clothes, and securing a slice of coarse
bread, that Mrs. Strawberry had brought for her supper, in her
handkerchief, Mary approached the window. The distance was not great to
the roof of the lean-to, and she had been used to climb tall forest
trees when a child, and fearlessly to drop from any height. She unclosed
the casement and listened. She heard from below loud shouts and
boisterous peals of laughter, m