“Nella-Rose?”

“Yes—­but, oh! be mighty still.  They may be here any minute.”

“They?  Who?”

“All of them.  Jed Martin, my father, and the others—­the ones who are friends of—­of—­”

“Whom, Nella-Rose?”

“Burke Lawson!  He’s back—­and they think—­oh! they think they are on his trail—­here!  I—­I was trying to get away but the streams were swollen and the big trees were bending and—­and I hid behind a rock and—­I heard!

“First it was Jed and father; they said they were going to shoot—­they’d given up catching Burke alive!  Then they went up-stream and the—­the others came—­the friends, and they ’lowed that Burke was here and they meant to get here before Jed and—­and da some killing on their side.  I—­I thought it was fun when they-all meant to take Burke alive, but now—­oh! now can’t you see?—­they’ll shoot and find out afterward!  They may come any minute!  I put the light out.  Come, we must leave the cabin empty-looking—­like you had gone—­and hide!”

The breathless whispering stopped and Truedale collected his senses in the face of this real danger.

“But you—­you must not be here, Nella-Rose!”

Every nerve was alert now.  “This is pure madness.  Great heavens! what am I going to do with you?”

The seriousness of the situation overpowered him.

“Sh!” The warning was caused by the restlessness of the dogs outside.  Their quick ears were sensing danger or—­the coming of their master!  Either possibility was equally alarming.

“Oh! you do not understand,” Nella-Rose was pleading by his knee.  “If they-all see you, they will have you killed that minute.  Burke is the only one in their minds—­they don’t even know that you live; they’re too full of Burke, and if they see me—­why—­they’d kill you anyway.”

“But what can I do with you?” That thought alone swayed Truedale.

Then Nella-Rose got upon her feet and stood close to him.

“I’m yours!  I gave myself to you.  You—­you wanted me.  Are you sorry?”

The simple pride and dignity went straight to Truedale’s heart.

“It’s because I want you so, little girl, that I must save you.”

Somehow Nella-Rose seemed to have lost her fear of the oncoming raiders; she spoke deliberately, and above a whisper: 

“Save me?—­from what?”

There were no words to convey to her his meaning.  Truedale felt almost ashamed to hold it in his own mind.  They so inevitably belonged to each other; why should they question?

“I—­I shall not go away—­again!”

“My darling, you must.”

“Where?”

The word brought him to his senses—­where, indeed?  With the dark woods full of armed men ready to fire at any moving thing in human shape, he could not let her go!  That conclusion reached, and all anchors cut, the danger and need of the hour claimed him.

“Yes; you are mine!” he whispered, gathering her to him.  “What does anything matter but our safety to-night?  To-morrow; well, to-morrow—­”