ou see that this is the only thing that's left?" he asked.

"And don't you see," she said rapidly, "its effect upon your mother?
In her weakened condition, your death will be her death. You just said
you had injured enough already. Do you want to kill one more? And
besides, and in spite of all," she added with a sudden fire, "there's
a big man in you! Face it like that man!"

He hesitated. Then he relaxed his hold upon the pistol, still without
speaking. Katherine returned it to its place and closed the drawer.

At this instant Old Hosie, who had been awaiting Katherine below,
rushed excitedly into the library.

"Don't you know hell's broke loose?" he cried to Katherine. "They'll
have that front door down in a minute! Come on!"

But Katherine could not take her gaze from Blake's pale, set face.

"What are you going to do?" she asked again.

"What is he going to do?" exclaimed Old Hosie. "Better ask what that
mob is going to do. Listen to them!"

A raging cry for Blake's life ascended, almost deafening their ears.

"No, no--they must not do that!" exclaimed Katherine, and breathlessly
she darted from the room.

Old Hosie looked grimly at Blake.

"You deserve it, Blake. But I'm against mob law. Quick, slip out the
back way. You can just catch the eleven o'clock express and get out of
the State."

Without waiting to see the effect of his advice Old Hosie hurried
after Katherine. She had reached the bottom of the stairway just as
cooperated shoulders crashed against the door and made it shiver on
its hinges. Her intention was to go out and speak to the crowd, but to
open the front door was to admit and be overwhelmed by the maddened
mob. She knew the house almost as well as she knew her own, and she
recalled that the dining-room had a French window which opened upon
the piazza on the side away from the crowd. She ran back through the
darkened rooms, swung open this window and ran about the piazza to the
front door. As she reached it, the human battering-ram drew back for
another infuriated lunge.

She sprang between the men and the door.

"Stop! Stop!" she cried.

"What the hell's this!" ejaculated the leader of the assault.

"Say, if it ain't a woman!" cried a member of the battering-ram.

"Out of the way with you!" roared the leader in a fury.

But she placed her back against the door.

"Stop--men! Give me just one word!"

"Better stop this, boys!" gasped a man at the foot of the steps,
struggling