resolution to acquaint his fair charge with the presence of her lover
with the settlers, and then leave her own heart to decide the matter.

The instant this resolve was formed, the honest-hearted hunter felt
better. What though the judgment should be against him, he had done his
duty, and this very fact gave him a pleasure which nothing else could
destroy. His great, all-absorbing love for Edith had led him to use the
artifice mentioned, in order to defer the interview between her and
Sego; but, great as was this master-passion, it could lead him no
further in deception than it had already done. More than once he half
determined to turn and make his way back to the settlement, and was
only prevented by a dread of the speculation and remarks that such a
proceeding would occasion upon their part.

It must not be supposed that Lewis doubted his ability to reach the
settlement in safety, with Edith. Had he known what danger he was
doomed to encounter, he would have retraced his steps instantly,
although he had commenced them with such a strong determination to keep
her and Sego separate for a time.

For an hour or so the journey progressed in silence upon the part of
the hunter and his charge. While, as might be expected, his passion
often led his gaze from the path he was pursuing, still it made him
doubly alive to the responsibilities resting upon him, and increased
his vigilance and watchfulness to a degree that would have appeared
absurd to an ordinary observer. Most of the time, he kept a step or two
in advance of Edith, trailing his rifle in his left hand, while his
form was half bent, and his head projected forward, giving him the
attitude of constant and intense attention. His eyes were flitting
constantly from tree-top to ground, from side to side, ahead and behind
him, kindling with admiration and fire as they rested upon the form of
his companion. The latter was enveloped in a large shawl, a portion of
which covered her head, while her arms gathered the rest around her
person. Her face was inclined, so that she was not sensible of the many
ardent glances to which she was subjected. She stepped lightly forward,
her beautifully moccasined feet hardly disturbing the leaves, among
which they twinkled like some forest-flower.

Lewis had proposed to himself, when starting, to take the nearest route
to the settlement; but his apprehension for the safety of Edith led him
to change his intention after going a few mil