and
luminous idea of the state of things, and made up his mind in a moment as
to what he must do. There was no time to be lost. Every day, every
hour, of Myrtle's absence was not only a source of anxiety and a cause of
useless searching but it gave room for inventive fancies to imagine evil.
It was better to run some risk of injury to health, than to have her
absence prolonged another day.

"Has this adventure been told about in the village, Mrs. Lindsay?"

"No, we thought it best to wait until she could tell her own story,
expecting her return to consciousness every hour, and thinking there
might be some reason for her disguise which it would be kinder to keep
quiet about."

"You know nothing about her, then?"

"Not a word. It was a great question whether to tell the story and make
inquiries; but she was safe, and could hardly bear disturbance, and, my
dear sir, it seemed too probable that there was some sad story behind
this escape in disguise, and that the poor child might need shelter and
retirement. We meant to do as well as we could for her."

"All right, Mrs. Lindsay. You do not know who she is, then?"

"No, sir, and perhaps it is as well that I should not know. Then I shall
not have to answer any questions about it."

"Very good, madam,--just as it should be. And your family, are they as
discreet as yourself?"

"Not one word of the whole story has been or will be told by any one of
us. That was agreed upon among us."

"Now then, madam. My name, as you heard me say, is Byles Gridley. Your
husband will know it, perhaps; at any rate I will wait until he comes
back. This child is of good family and of good name. I know her well,
and mean, with your kind help, to save her from the consequences which
her foolish adventure might have brought upon her. Before the bells ring
for meeting to-morrow morning this girl must be in her bed at her home,
at Oxbow Village, and we must keep her story to ourselves as far as may
be. It will all blow over, if we do. The gossips will only know that
she was upset in the river and cared for by some good people,--good
people and sensible people too, Mrs. Lindsay. And now I want to see the
young man that rescued my friend here,--Clement Lindsay, I have heard his
name before."

Clement was not a beauty for the moment, but Master Gridley saw well
enough that he was a young man of the right kind. He knew them at sight,
fellows with lime enough in their bones and ir