y in
a dead faint on the sofa. Claire, with a face as pale as death, was
standing beside her.

"Walter!" she gasped out; "then we are safe!"

She tottered, and would have fallen, had not Walter rushed forward in
time to catch her, and place her in a chair:

"Don't faint, my dear Claire," he said urgently. "There is your mother to
be looked after, and I must run downstairs, for they are attacking the
house."

"I won't faint," Claire said, laughing and crying in a manner which
frightened Walter more than her fainting would have done. "I shall be
better directly, but it seems almost like a miracle. Oh, those dreadful
men!"

"They have all gone now, Claire. We hold the house, and have cleared them
out. Pray, calm yourself and attend to your mother. I must go. Don't be
frightened at the firing. My father will be here in a few minutes, with
aid."

"Oh! I am not frightened, now," Claire said; "and oh! Walter, you are
bleeding dreadfully."

"Never mind that now," Walter said; "I will see to it, when it is all
over."

Then, leaving her to look after Mrs. Conyers, he ran downstairs. His
right arm was disabled, he having received a sweeping blow on the
shoulder from one of the Hessians, as he won his way on to the landing;
but he had no time to think of this now, for his men were hardly pressed.
For a moment, a panic had reigned among the troopers outside, at the
outburst of firing, and at the sight of their comrades leaping
panic-stricken from the windows; but inquiry soon showed them that they
were still greatly superior in numbers to the party who had obtained
possession of the hall; and, furious at the loss of all their officers,
and of many of their comrades, they attacked on all sides, and tried to
force their way in at the doors and lower windows, in spite of the
vigorous resistance from within. Walter hurried from point to point,
cheering on his men by assurance that help was at hand, and seeing that
no point had been left undefended.

Chapter 10: A Cavalry Raid.

Staunchly as Walter's troopers maintained the defence, they were sorely
pressed, for the enemy still outnumbered them by three to one. Several
times the Hessians almost forced their way in, at one or other of the
windows, but each time Walter, who kept four men with him as a reserve,
rushed to the assistance of the defenders of the windows and drove them
back; but this could not last. The defenders were hard pressed at several
points, and Wal