had first
accosted her. In small measure this knowledge afforded some degree of
courage, for he had then appeared less brutal, more approachable than
the others. Perhaps she might lead him to talk, once they were alone
together, and thus learn the purpose of this outrage.

Yet deep down in her mind she felt little doubt of the object in view,
or who were involved. Excited as she was, and frightened, the girl was
still composed enough to grasp the nature of her surroundings, and she
had time now, as the wagon rumbled forward, to think over all that had
been said, and fit it into the circumstances.

Moreover she had recognised another voice--although the speaker had
kept out of sight, and spoken only in disguised, rumbling tones--that
of Ned Beaton. The fact of his presence alone served to make the
affair reasonably clear. The telegram stolen from her room by Miss La
Rue had led to this action. They had suspected her before, but that
had served to confirm their suspicions, and as soon as it had been
shown to Enright, he had determined to place her where she would be
helpless to interfere with their plans.

But what did they propose doing with her? The question caused her
blood to run cold. That these people were desperate she had every
reason to believe; they were battling for big stakes: not even murder
had hitherto stood in their way? Why then, should they hesitate to
take her life, if they actually deemed it necessary to the final
success of their plans? She remembered what Beaton had said about her
room--the condition in which it had been left. It was not all clear,
yet it was clear enough, that they had taken every precaution to make
her sudden disappearance appear natural. They had removed all her
things, and left a note behind in womanly handwriting to explain her
hurried departure. There was a master criminal mind, watchful of every
detail, behind this conspiracy. He was guarding against every
possibility of rescue.

The driver began to use his whip and urge the team forward, the wagon
pounding along over the rough road at a rate which compelled the girl
to hang on closely to keep her seat. The man beside her bounced about,
and swore, but made no effort to touch her, or open conversation. The
uncertainty, the fear engendered by her thought, the drear silence
almost caused her to scream. She conquered this, yet could remain
speechless no longer.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked suddenly