ase he is, and shows fight, why
then we'll have to----"

The rest of the sentence was lost, and the two men departed.

Poor Mrs. Peggy sat frozen to her chair in terror. What on earth could
she do! Her husband was gone for the day. There was no chance for his
return before six o'clock at least.

"Poor, useless body!" she exclaimed, "the neighbours' property in
danger, their very lives threatened, a traitor in their midst, and me
sitting here knowing it all, and not able to do anything!"

She was so distressed at her helplessness that tears rolled down her
thin cheeks. But soon she dried them and said, emphatically:

"There's no avoiding it; I must get word to Mrs. Morton!"

She thought harder than she had ever done before in all her life; then,
as if answering objections, she said aloud:

"If I can't get anybody to go for me, I will go myself."

She, poor soul, who had never moved unaided for five long years, except
to turn the wheels of her chair for a few yards in her little narrow
room!

She rolled herself away from the fire toward the door. With a little
difficulty she opened it, and peered out. Although she was warmly clad,
the rush of cold air made her shiver, but she wrapped one of her shawls
around her head and watched.

No one passed. Twelve o'clock struck. In a few hours it would be too
late.

[Illustration]

She sighed heavily. "Would it be possible for me to wheel myself over
the common and across the street? Could I ever reach that great house
alive?"

She did not think the Mortons' nurse knew her, though she remembered the
woman distinctly.

Then a new difficulty occurred to her. "Even if I succeed in making the
journey, can I get private speech with the right persons?"

She hesitated, then she added, bravely:

"Shame on me to think of giving up!" and throwing the door wide open,
with a mighty effort she pushed her chair over the sill.

It rolled down with a bump and on for a few feet until it was stopped by
a sharp stone.

It was only several inches from the door to the ground, nevertheless,
the jar gave her so much pain that she nearly fainted. She lay still for
some moments, more dead than alive.

"I must go! I have cut off all way of return now. Bumping down that step
was one thing; getting back would be impossible."

But when she tried to go on, her weakness was so great that she could
not make any progress. Her chair, wedged against the stone, was
immovable.

"O God," she