nviction that the climax had come, Teresa
turned her eyes. From the dim aisles beyond, Low was approaching. The
catastrophe seemed complete.

She had barely time to utter an imploring whisper: "In the name of God,
not a word to him." But a change had already come over her companion. It
was no longer a parley with a foolish woman; he had to deal with a man
like himself. As Low's dark face and picturesque figure came nearer, Mr.
Curson's proposed method of dealing with him was made audible.

"Ith it a mulatto or a Thircuth, or both?" he asked, with affected
anxiety.

Low's Indian phlegm was impervious to such assault. He turned to Teresa,
without apparently noticing her companion. "I turned back," he said
quietly, "as soon as I knew there were strangers here; I thought you
might need me." She noticed for the first time that, in addition to his
rifle, he carried a revolver and hunting knife in his belt.

"Yeth," returned Curson, with an ineffectual attempt to imitate Low's
phlegm; "but ath I didn't happen to be a sthranger to this lady, perhaps
it wathn't nethethary, particularly ath I had two friends--"

"Waiting at the edge of the wood with a led horse," interrupted Low,
without addressing him, but apparently continuing his explanation to
Teresa. But she turned to Low with feverish anxiety.

"That's so--he is an old friend--" she gave a quick, imploring glance at
Curson--"an old friend who came to help me away--he is very kind," she
stammered, turning alternately from the one to the other; "but I told
him there was no hurry--at least to-day--that you--were--very good--too,
and would hide me a little longer, until your plan--you know YOUR plan,"
she added, with a look of beseeching significance to Low--"could be
tried." And then, with a helpless conviction that her excuses, motives,
and emotions were equally and perfectly transparent to both men, she
stopped in a tremble.

"Perhapth it 'th jutht ath well, then, that the gentleman came thtraight
here, and didn't tackle my two friendth when he pathed them," observed
Curson, half sarcastically.

"I have not passed your friends, nor have I been near them," said Low,
looking at him for the first time, with the same exasperating calm, "or
perhaps I should not be HERE or they THERE. I knew that one man entered
the wood a few moments ago, and that two men and four horses remained
outside."

"That's true," said Teresa to Curson excitedly--"that's true. He knows
all. He