shine so as to let her see his face clearly; but his bearing was
calm, he held his head up. She looked for his hurts; there seemed to
be bandages on his head but some one had given him a large cap which
was pulled down so as to conceal the bandages. Plainly there had been
no other capture; excitement was all centered upon him. Harriet heard
people telling her name to others; and the newspaper men, who seemed to
be all about, pushed back those who would interfere with her reaching
the second machine.

She disregarded them and every one else but Hugh, who had seen her and
had kept his gaze steadily upon her as she approached. She stopped at
the side of the car where he was and she put her hand on the edge of
the tonneau.

"You have been hurt again, Hugh?" she managed steadily.

"Hurt? No," he said as constrainedly. "No."

A blinding flare and an explosion startled her about. It was only a
flashlight fired by one of the newspaper photographers who had placed
his camera during the halt. Harriet opened the door to the tonneau.
Two men occupied the seats in the middle of the car; it was a large,
seven passenger machine. "I will take this seat, please," she said to
the man nearer. He got out and she sat down. Those who had been
trying to start the car which she had driven across the road, had given
up the task and were pushing it away to one side. Harriet sat down in
front of Eaton--it was still by that name she thought of him; her
feelings refused the other name, though she knew now it was his real
one. She understood now her impulse which had driven her to try to
block the road to her father's house if only for a moment; they were
taking him there to deliver him up to Avery--to her father--who were
consulting there over what his fate was to be.

She put her hand on his; his fingers closed upon it, but after his
first response to her grasp he made no other; and now, as the lights
showed him to her more clearly, she was terrified to see how unable he
was to defend himself against anything that might be done to him. His
calmness was the calmness of exhaustion; his left arm was bound tightly
to his side; his eyes, dim and blank with pain and weariness, stared
only dully, dazedly at all around.

The car started, and she sat silent, with her hand still upon his, as
they went on to her father's house.

CHAPTER XXIV

THE FLAW IN THE LEFT EYE

Santoine, after Harriet had left the library, stood waiting