her chamber--put her in bed, and let us be off?"
said Rivers.

"Wait awhile!" was the answer.

The girl had evidently received a severe shock. Munro shook his head,
and looked at Rivers angrily.

"See to it, Guy, if any harm comes to her."

"Pshaw!" said the other, "she is recovering now."

He was right. The eyes of the sufferer unclosed, but they were
vacant--they lacked all intelligence. Munro pulled a flask of spirits
from his pocket, and poured some into her lips. They were livid, and her
cheeks of ashy paleness.

"She recovers--see!"

The teeth opened and shut together again with a sudden spasmodic energy.
The eyes began to receive light. Her breathing increased.

"She will do now," muttered Munro. "She will recover directly. Get
yourself ready, Guy, and prepare to mount, while I see that she is put
to bed. It's now a necessity that we should push this stranger to the
wall, and silence him altogether. I don't oppose you now, seeing that
we've got to do it."

"Ay," quoth Rivers, somewhat abstractedly--for he was a person of
changing and capricious moods--"ay! ay! it has to be done! Well! we will
do it!--as for her!"

Here he drew nigh and grasped the hand of the only half-conscious
damsel, and stared earnestly in her face. Her eyes opened largely and
wildly upon him, then closed again; a shudder passed over her form, and
her hand was convulsively withdrawn from his grasp.

"Come, come, let her alone, and be off," said Munro. "As long as you are
here, she'll be in a fit! See to the horses. There's no use to wait. You
little know Lucy Munro if you reckon to get anything out of her. You may
strike till doomsday at her bosom, but, where she's fixed in principle,
she'll perish before she yields. Nothing can move her when she's
resolved. In that she's the very likeness of her father, who was like a
rock when he had sworn a thing."

"Ha! but the rock may be split, and the woman's will must be made to
yield to a superior. I could soon--"

He took her hand once more in his iron grasp.

"Let her go, Guy!" said Munro sternly. "She shall have no rough usage
while I'm standing by. Remember that! It's true, she's meddled in
matters that didn't concern her, but there is an excuse. It was
womanlike to do so, and I can't blame her. She's a true woman, Guy--all
heart and soul--as noble a young thing as ever broke the world's
bread--too noble to live with such as we, Guy; and I only wish I had so
much man's strengt