nny, used to dog doctoring, bound
up, after which the creature came close to his master, and fell asleep
under his hand.

It was a very faint hand. Movement or speech alike brought blood to the
mouth, and Stead's ruddy checks were becoming deadly white. He struggled
to say, "You and Ben guard it! Say a prayer, Pat," and then the two
women really thought that in the gush that followed all was over, and
Nanny marvelled at the stunned calm in which Patience went over the
Lord's Prayer, and such Psalms as she could remember.

Steps came, and Nanny shrieked. Then she saw it was her husband and the
other two men.

"Made off to the town," said Peter, gruffly.

"How now--hurt?"

"O, Peter, they have made an end of the poor lad. Died like a lamb, even
now."

"No, no," said Peter, as he came close to the bed with his more
experienced eye; "he ain't dead. 'Tis but a swoon. Hast any strong
waters, Pat? No, I'll be bound. Ho, you now, Bill, run and knock them up
at the Elmwood Arms, and bring down a gill."

"And call Goody Grace," entreated Patience, "she will know best what to
do."

On the whole, Peter's military experience was more hopeful, if not more
helpful than Goody Grace's. He was the only person who persisted in
declaring that such wounds were not always mortal, though he agreed
in owning that the inward bleeding was the worst sign. Stead did not
attempt to speak again, but lay there deadly white and with a stricken
look on his face, which Patience could not bear to see, and she ascribed
to the conviction that the wretched little Emlyn must have betrayed his
secret.

The hut was over-full of volunteers of assistance and enquiry the next
day, including the squire and Master Woodley; but nobody seemed to guess
at the real object of the robbers' attack, everybody thinking they
had come for the savings which Stead was known to be making towards
rebuilding the farmhouse.

Mr. Elmwood was very indignant and took Pierce, and Blane the constable,
into Bristol to see whether the felons could be captured and brought to
justice, but they proved to have gone down to the wharf, and to have got
on board a vessel which had dropped down the river in the early morning.
They were also more than suspected of being no other than buccaneers who
plied their trade of piracy in the West Indies. The younger Ayliffe had
gone with them, and was by no means above suspicion.

Mr. Elmwood also brought out a barber surgeon to see young Ken