ound together
and lashed to the bed-post. The child made no sound. The piercing
screams came not from him, but from an inner room--Myra's bedroom--and
from behind a closed door.

"You shall not!" Hester flung herself forward, shielding the child from
another blow. "Oh, what wickedness are you doing! What horrible
wickedness!"

Mr. Sam had raised his arm again. The man indeed seemed to be
transported with passion, with sheer lust of cruelty. It is doubtful if
he had heard her enter. His dark face twitched distortedly in the fading
light.

"I'll teach him--I'll teach him!" he panted.

"You shall not!" Hester, covering the child's limp body, could not see his
face, but her eyes fell on his little shirt, ripped from neckband to flap,
and lying on the floor as it had been torn from his body and tossed aside.
She called to Susannah, still lingering doubtfully outside upon the mat,
and pointed to the door behind Mr. Sam. Susannah plucked up courage,
stepped across and turned the key. An instant later, like a small wild
beast uncaged, Myra came springing and crouched beside her brother, facing
his tormentor with blazing eyes.

Hester, catching sight of the housekeeper's scissors which Susannah wore
at her waist, motioned to her to cut the cords binding Clem's wrists.
Mr. Sam made no effort to oppose her, but stood panting, with one hand
resting on the dressing-table. Susannah managed indeed to detach the
scissors, but held them out falteringly, as though in sheer terror
declining all responsibility.

"Give them to me, then."

But as Susannah held them out Myra leapt up and, snatching them, dashed
upon her uncle. His hand still rested palm downwards on the
dressing-table, and she struck at it. Undoubtedly the child would have
stabbed it through--for, strange to say, he made no effort to fend her off
or to avoid the stroke--had not Hester run in time to push her smartly by
the shoulder in the very act of striking. As it was the scissor-point
drove into the table, missing him by a bare two inches. Then and then
only he lifted his hand and stared at it stupidly. He seemed about to
speak, but turned with a click of the throat--a queer dry sound, as though
a sudden thirst parched him--and walked heavily from the room.
Hester gazed after him and back at the scissors on the dressing-table.
She was reaching forward to pick them up when a cry from Susannah bade her
hurry. Clem had fainted, his legs doubled bene