The times., 1901-04-21

| womans s hand.
| Quick she said. Who is IN the
No one except myself He said the
house was to be KEEP clear tonight
| Can they get in?'
They can kick the house down if they
| like; it's so old and crazy"
| is there an upper room?'
| The old woman pointed 10 the far cor
! ner. Molly now perceived that the place
| was the kitchen. the taprOOm, the sitting
! room and all A table was i'll the middle;
| a settle was standing beside the empty
| fireplace. there was bench or two; mugs
! and cups of wood. pewter and common
| ware stood on the mantelsheif; side of
| bacon hung in the chimney. In the cor
| ner to which the old woman pointed was
| ladder Molly ran across the room AT
| the top of the ladder there was a square
| opening large enough for her passage.
! She went up and found herself by the dim
! rushlght in an upper chamber. the floor
| of which was covered with flock beds laid
! on the boards. There was one small
frame of glass i'm the roof, window
| which was not made to open. The place
reeked with foul air worse than the orlop
| deck or the hold after voyage.
Down below she heard her Captor kick
! ing at the door Apparently the Old wo-
man drew back the bolt. for he came in
! nOisily and swearing horribly. Appar-
! emily the old woman pointed to the lad
| der, or perhaps the glimmer from the
room above guided him. He came to the
| ladder and tried persuasion.
Molly, my dear he cried, come
| downi | won't harm you. Upon my hon
| or will not | want only to put you into
the chaiSe and carry you off to be mar
ried. Molly, you are the lOvelieSt girl in
the county. Molly. ! say. there is nobody
can hold a candle to YOU. Molly. | Will
make you as happy as the day is long
Molly, / love you ten times as well as
that proud lord. He will not marry you
| There isn't a man in all the company |
will not fight for your sake. Don't think
l will let any other man have you. Con-
found it, Molly, why don't you answer?
For now she kept silence. The more he
parleyed the more time she gained But
she found one or two loose boards that
had been used for laying in trestles for
the support of the flockbeds She laid
them across the trapdoor. There was
however nothing to keep them down.
Then Tom Rising began to swear at the
old woman
You fool You biundering, silly, jenny
give her the candle for?"
a. didn't give it. She took it"
Go get another candle, then"
There are no more candles, master"
She's got the only one.
Molly. if you won't come down, ] shall
force my way up.
He took two steps up the ladder and
| lifted the boards. showing the fingers of
his left hand. Molly applied her knife
! gently. but dexterOuSly; but II touched the
bone and taught him what TO expect. He
drew back with cry of rage.
Come down" he said. 'or it will be
| worse for YOU Come down / say"
He had not reckoned on knife and
| on the girls courage in using it.
Molly. ne said again, more softly,
| come down.
She still maintained silence.
You have no food up there he went
| on Your window is only light In the
| roof looking away from the road No one
/ from Lynn will come this way. If they
do, they will see nothing. You had better
| come down. Molly | shall wait here for
/ a month. / shall starve you out. DO you
! hear? By the Lord, ! will set fire TO the
| thatch and burn you out! By the LORD.
! you shall come down.
| SO he raved and ragged. Meantime the
| two chairmeH, who were his own ser
wants stood pole in hand, one in front OF
! the house and one behind, to prevent an
| escape. but this was impossible, because
| the room, as you have heard, had no
other window than a small. square open
! ing in the roof in which was fitted a
! piece of coarse, common glass.
! Jack" she told me, when he talked OF
| setting fire TO the thatch, confess |
/ trembed because, you see, my knife
| would not help me there, and. indeed, /
! think he would have done it, because he
was like one that has gone mad with
| rage. He was ike a mad bull he
! stormed: he ragged; he cursed and swore;
| he called me all the names you ever
! heard of. such names as the sailors call
/ their sweethearts when they are in rage
! with them. and then he called me all the
! endearing names. such as loveliest of my
sex fairest nymph tenderest beauty.
! What mani What a man.
Meantime she made no answer what
/ ever and the darkness and the silence
and the Obstinacy of the girl were drlV-
| ing the unfortunate lover TO KIND OF
| madness, and ! know not what would
| have happened.
come ! shall tear down the thatch. /
would burn you out, but l would not
| spoil your beauty. I shall tear down the
! thatch and my men shall carry you
! down"
! 4 have a knife in my possession. Do
| not think that | am afraid to use it. The
| first man who lays hands on me / VIII
| kill. whether it is you OF your servants.
| THAT we shall see. Look out, Molly,
! you are only a. merchants daughter, and
| am a gentleman. Do you think value
| that compared with marrying you? Not
! one whit When we are married, / VIII
buy more land. / will be the greatest land
! owner of the whole county. Sir Robert
| will make me sheriff. ! will go into Par
| lament. Molly, be will make me peer.
| Come down, | say"
But she spoke no more.
Then he lost control of himself and for
awhile stamped and swore; threatened ana
cursed You will have IT., then? Here,
John. go and look for a ladder There $
/ always a ladder in the back yard. Put
/ ii up against the thatch- Tear II down
/ Make hole in the roof Tear on the
/ The man propped his chair pole
| against the door and went round to look
| for the ladder and to obey orders.
so" Molly told me. Il was beseged.
| Mr. Rising was below, but l had my
| knife. and he was afraid to venture up
! the steDS | heard the men dumping
/ about outside | heard them plant the
! ladder and climb up. Now, a country
man who understands a thatch Is able
TO tear it off very quickly, either to
make or mend a hole or to tear down
| the roof altogether, and | feared that /
! must use my knife seriously. Was ever
/ woman more barbarously abused? Well
/ | waited BY the quick tearing away OF
! the straw | saw that the fellow on the
! ladder knew how to thatch a rick or a
/ cottage In a few minutes there would
| be a hole big enough for half a dozen
! men to enter Jack her cheek flushed
| and her eye frightened. God forgive me.
| but / made up my mind the moment that
| man stepped within the room TO plunge
my knife into his heart
| II woman's honor is dearer than her
| life then surely it is more precious than
| a dozen lives Of those who would rob
her of that treasure.
! However. this last act Of defence was
! not necessary.
waiting with the chaise-'master, here
( be men on horseback gallopns. | doubt
/ they are coming after the lady
Tom Rising stepped to the door and
| looked down the road. The day was
| already beginning to break. He sa"
! mon galloping along the road. 1t was
! a bad road, and there had been rain, so
! that the horses went heavily. They We're
/ very near In a few moments they would
! be upOn him. He looked at the chaise-
! He made one more effort
Molly" he said come down quick
There is just time Let us have no more
!