matter now.

"Go and douse water over your damned worthless head, Mullan," he heard
the sergeant say, so Feeny was evidently alert as ever and must have
heard the proposition from without. At his feet, huddled close to the
floor where the thick smoke was least distressing, Fanny and Ruth
still clung to one another, the latter trembling at the sound of the
voice from without. But Fanny had quickly, eagerly, raised her head to
listen. For a moment no reply was made. Then came the impatient
query,--

"Harvey, do you hear? You have no time to lose. You have but a minute
in which to answer."

"Major," he burst forth at last in an agony of doubt, "you hear what
they say, you see how I am fixed. If I were here alone you would never
need to ask my services, I'd fight with you to the bitter end; but
think of my father,--my mother if anything befall my sisters. Can
nothing be done?"

From the lips of the stricken paymaster there came only a groan in
reply.

"I fear he cannot hold out long, Mr. Harvey," muttered the clerk. "I
doubt if he heard or understood you."

"Well, why not let them have the safe if they'll guarantee that that
is all they want? How much have you there? I feel sure my father would
make it good."

"There's over twenty-five thousand dollars, Mr. Harvey."

"Well, if it was only twenty-five cents, Mr. Ned Harvey, all I've got
to say is, devil a wan of them would they get so long as I could load
a shot or pull a trigger. Go you if you will; take the leddies by all
means if you think it safer; but before I'd trust the wan sister I
ever had--God rest her soul--to the promise of any such blackguard
party as this, I'd bury my knife in her throat."

An awful stillness followed Feeny's words. For an instant there was no
sound but quick-beating hearts, the mutterings and complainings of
poor Mullan, staggering about in search of his carbine, the quickened
breath and low moaning of poor old Plummer. Then again came the loud
hail from without.

"Once more, Ned Harvey, will you come out and be saved, or stay there
and roast? Surrender now and you're all right; but, by the God of
heaven, if you refuse, it's the last chance for you or those you were
fool enough to bring here. Think for your sisters, man. There's no
hope for one of you if you delay another minute."

And then it was a woman's voice, tremulous but clear.

"Ned, wasn't it to save us that Major Plummer sent his men? Wasn't it
for our sake he gave