, ma'am, keep--her, Molly, from
Teale and them-all!"

"And you?" So simply did the question come that the man replied in
kind.

"I--I can't let them-all cotch me, ma'am. Come morning, I'll be past
hurting any one, more."

The childlike pathos in this criminal's voice and attitude confused the
listener. For the life of her she could not deal with the situation in
any ordinary fashion; it seemed like a dramatic incident bungled by
amateurs. Presently she asked gently:

"Are you _sure_ she is dead, Mr. Morley?"

The unreality held Martin, too.

"I reckon she is," he faltered; "I--I couldn't hear her heart--and she
laid right still. I expect she is dead."

The ludicrous overpowered even the turn of possibility, and the little
doctor said:

"You just mustn't kill yourself or harm Sandy unless it is necessary,
you know. If you will go out and harness my horse to the buggy, you
and I will make sure."

By the time Morley had mechanically fulfilled these commands, Marcia
Lowe had decided, from the sound of Molly's breathing, that she might
safely be left alone, and, cloaked and hooded, joined Martin outside.

It was a dreary ride, and the two spoke seldom.

"You are to be no coward, Morley," Marcia Lowe had said; "you're to
face your future like a man--like Sandy's father. He will well
understand. I will stand by you and see fair play for you; I'll pay
for a good lawyer, and you will take your medicine, whatever it is, and
be clean and decent for your boy and girl. I'll take care of Molly."

After a time Martin agreed to this, but from the shivering of the form
beside her, the little doctor realized the struggle.

And so they reached Morley's cabin and entered, like ghosts, into the
fear-haunted place. Mary was gone. The fire was smouldering in the
last flashes, the damp ashes were drying--but Mary had made a bodily
escape.

"So!" whispered Marcia Lowe. "It was better to make sure. Go
upstairs, see if she is there."

Mary was not there.

"Now come back."

Through the chill of the early morning the two drove silently back to
Trouble Neck and with strange foreboding the little doctor made her way
at once to the lean-to bed-chamber--Molly, too, was gone! She had made
her way to Teale's, Miss Lowe felt sure.

The next morning the news spread fast, garbled by many tongues.

Teale's place had been raided! Teale had escaped and the Morleys had
accompanied him.

"Well!" said Sally Taber to Cynt