covered with blood.

"Stand back, please, everybody," he commanded.

He was obeyed implicitly. But his order came too late. They had seen
the blood upon his hand.

Miss Ganthorn began to faint and was led away. Other girls looked as
though they might follow suit. Only Hephzibah Malling stood her
ground. Her face was blanched, but her mouth was tightly clenched. She
uttered no sound. All her anger against the prostrate man had
vanished; a world of pity was in her eyes as she silently looked on.

The parson summoned some of the men.

"Bear a hand, boys," he said, in a business-like tone which deceived
no one. "We'd better get him into the house." Then, seeing Mrs.
Malling, he went on, "Get Prudence away at once. She must not see."

The old farm-wife hurried off, and the others gently raised the body
of the unconscious man and bore it towards the house.

Thus did Leslie Grey attend his wedding.

The body was taken in by a back way to Sarah Gurridge's bedroom and
laid upon the bed. Tim Gleichen was dispatched at once to Lakeville
for the doctor. Then, dismissing everybody but Harry Gleichen, Mr.
Danvers proceeded to remove the sick man's outer clothing.

The room was small, the one window infinitely so. A single sunbeam
shone coldly in through the latter and lit up the well-scrubbed bare
floor. There was nothing but the plainest of "fixings" in the
apartment, but they had been set in position by the deft hand of a
woman of taste. The bed on which the unconscious man had been placed
was narrow and hard. Its coverlet was a patchwork affair of depressing
hue.

Mr. Danvers bent to his work with a full appreciation of the tragedy
which had happened. His face was solemn, and expressive of the most
tender solicitude for the injured man. In a whisper he dispatched his
assistant for warm water and bandages, whilst he unfastened and
removed the fur coat. Inside the clothing was saturated with still
warm blood. The minister's lips tightened as the truth of what had
happened slowly forced itself upon his mind.

So absorbed was he in his ministrations that he failed to heed the
sound of excited whisperings which came to him from beyond the door.
It was not until the creaking of the hinges had warned him that the
door was ajar, that he looked up from his occupation. At that moment
there was a rustle of silk, the noise of swift footsteps across the
bare boards, and Prudence was at the opposite side of the bed.

The soft ova