erhaps. Sobbing anew
she struggled again with her bonds, until at last she lay back relaxed
and exhausted, and prayed with all her might to the God that had always
been her guide.

And after a while she grew calm again, refreshed and strengthened by her
faith. No harm would befall Peter. No further harm would come to her.
Evil such as Hawk's was powerless against her prayers. Already he had
done her a great injury. The God of her faith would keep her scatheless
until Peter, the man she loved, came to save her. She was as sure of
this now as though she could see him coming, vengeance in his hand, with
long strides through the forest to her hiding-place. And so, after a
while, exhausted from her efforts, she fell into a doze.

When she awoke from troubled dreams it was with a sense of suffocation.
She had stirred in her sleep and the thongs had cut more deeply into the
flesh at her knees, causing her pain. Below the knees she was numb from
the constant pressure, but she moved her toes up and down and her limbs
tingled painfully as the constricted blood flowed into her extremities.
How long she had lain there she did not know, but the interior of the
shed seemed to have grown quite dark, as though a storm were rising
outside. The wind was still blowing, and above the moaning of the pines
she could hear the continuous rustle of the leaves and the creaking of
moving branches. She managed with an effort to turn her head toward the
window, where through the dark leaves of the overshadowing trees she
could catch glimpses of the sky, which seemed to have turned to a
pinkish purple, like the afterglow of a sunset. Was it possible that she
could have slept so long? In the turning of her head it seemed that the
bandage over her mouth had become loosened and as she tried the
experiment again, the handkerchief slipped down around her neck. In a
moment she had gotten rid of the wad of linen in her mouth. At least she
could breathe freely now and moisten her parching lips. This boon seemed
almost in answer to her prayers. And if one bandage could come loose by
God's help, why not another?

And so cheerfully and with a persistence which took no thought of the
pain she was inflicting upon herself, she began working her hands to and
fro behind her until she fancied that the pressure on her wrists was not
so great as before. With an effort she managed to wriggle over against
the wall and so to straighten into a sitting posture.

It was