saw that the most pressing need was to obey
Fulk in fetching necessaries from our house, and that Perrault meant to
disarm suspicion by treating it as an accident, so he thought it best
to go off to a magistrate with his story, before giving any alarm;
feeling certain, as he said, that the shot had been meant for the Earl;
as indeed, Perrault's first exclamation on coming up showed that he too
had expected to find Trevorsham the wounded one.

Mr. Halsted had sent for the constable and came at once, though even
then inclined to doubt whether Brand had not imputed accident to
malice. But Perrault's flight had settled that question. During the
confusion, while Hester was being carried upstairs, the miscreant had
the opportunity of speaking to the child.

"Drowned! No, she is not drowned; but she may be the other thing if
you don't get me off! What, don't you understand? Let the law lay a
finger on me, and what is to hinder me from telling how your sweet
sister has been plotting to get you--yes, you, out of the way of her
darling. No, you needn't fear, there's nothing to get by it now. Lucky
for you you brought the poor boy out, when I thought him safe by the
fire nursing his chilblain. But mind this, if I am arrested, all the
story shall come out. I'll not swing alone. If I fired, she pointed
the gun! And you may judge if that was what poor Trevor meant by his
mutterings to you about 'mother.'"

"But what do you want?" Alured asked. He had backed up against the
wall; he was past being frightened, but he felt numb and sick with
horror, and ready to do anything to get the wretch out of his sight.

"I want a clear way out of the house and all the cash you can get
together. What! no more than that? I'd not be a lord to be kept so
short. Find me some more."

Alured knew I should forgive him, and he took my key from my basket,
unlocked the escritoire, and gave him my purse of household money,
undid the shutters, and helped Perrault to squeeze himself through the
little parlour window; and then, as he said, something came over him,
and he just reached the sofa, and knew no more.

He did not tell all this about Hester before Mr. Halsted; only when
Fulk, finding how shaken he was, had carried him upstairs, and we had
taken him to his room, he asked anxiously whether anyone had heard
Hester say that dreadful thing, and added, "Then if Mr. Perrault gets
away no one will know--about her."

"Was that why you helpe