The Washington times., 1913-05-06
CHAPTER VIII.
Two In the Mist.

brook. in that moment, lifted a
hand against the supposed lad who
had tricked him he would nave
struck to kill. Luckily he knew him
self. and having no mind to be branded
as the murderer of a defenseless 10Y,
forebere to lift his hand.
For an age-long second they stood
eye to eye. weakling betrayer and con-
fdent betrayed. Then, not trusting
himself even to speak. he turned On his
heel, soldier-fashion, and STROBE back
the way he had come.
With indrawn breath Thomsine
watched the hazel bushes quiver round
hts crashing passage, until she saw the
Qr:vering die among the bare tw,gs-
Then at last she realized that unee-
ievably she stood in the gray m,s:, In
the water-meadow, alone and un-
scathed.
Her first impulse was to give thanks
that she stood there alive. Her next
was prudently to put as much distance
as possible between herself and the
whitley furious Won Kerstenbroock.
Who could say but that he might not
presently repent of his forbearance?
She turned her back on the path by
which she had flung away-the one
path into the water-meadow that she
knew. She stumbled her fastest to the
edge of the swollen stream and found
a bridge of one frail plank, by which
she made the crossing perilously, and
presently gained the shelter OF the
dark wood.
She held that now her course was
simple She need only bend to the
left, and, in time, she should Doubtless
gain a main-trayeled road by which
she could trace back to the North GATE
Of Oxford.
In a few hours she should be at home.
proud in the consciousness that sne had
saved her precious brother. For, by
her hazardous device, she surely mad
put OF the duel in Walset Mead, and
so gained time in which Wat could
grow sober and his friends could plan
TO keep him whole with honor.
Yet she was not greatly hearteneo
by the reflection. Instead, she kept
thinking how colo was the mist, and
hurting her, and wondering should she
ever reach the read.
About noon as she reckoned it to be.
though she had no sun by which to
reckon, she struck into a rough byWay.
She limped along ii bravely, in the d.
rection where she reasoned that OK
ford should lie. and, thus HmpinS,
rounded turn. and there, beneath the
hedge, almost fell into the arms OF a
frowsy woman and two men, with red
den 4 faces and eyes that were scarcely
human.
called to the pretty little gentleman.
wkils one OF the men. rising heavily
barred the way.
Thomsine stood. fascinated. with
feeling that. IL she shut her eyes end
opened them again, she must find that
these unclean shapes Of the mist were
vanished into mist.
But as She felt the runiaq's hand
close on her shoulder she knew mat
this was no nightmare, and, leaving
her cloak in the fellows hand. she He'd
as she knew, for more than very ne.
OF her assailants, having been whipped
ont of Oxford the day before, were in
no case to run after her She heard
Vile oaths a-plenty, and she felt a
stone or so whir past her head. but
never once dad she near the 'hud Oh ieet
Vet she ran on bIindly until she had
no strength TO run farther. Then she
crept under a hedge. and lay shaking
With fear. until she grew afraid TO lie
,here snv longer. Let her keep her dis
tance from the road. where she might
ar. ars moment risk such loathsome
peril! - l., .L ,
that now was falling. she plodo-
,hrough the heavy fields, until she saw
~ the distance the red roofs of a farm
stead Hopefully she crept thither. and
was dragging herself over an lnc!oSlns
well. when she heard the yap OF dogs
and q mans harsh voice.
"at him Shag, So no. Trug. Yah.
good lads! The pestilent coney-catching
knayes from the camp. Worry him.
good lads" ,o,,,.a .
She looked down upon what seemed
sea of yelping dogs and reo-Iaceo
ns, who tarred them upon her. She
dropped back off the wall with feryent
prayer that il be too high Tor tne curs !iIs
to scale and again she ran blindiy' tiii
her knees gave way benetth her;
So there was safety for her ne4ther IN
the roads nor the fields. With her heart
in her throat. she went skulkins from
thicket to thicket.
She had forgotten that she had saved
Wat and infuriated Won Serstenproch'