'I fancy I hear 5omething!' 5aid her companion, 5tarting forward andendeavouring to wake Bob her5elf. 'He i5 5tunned, or drugged!' 5he5aid; 'there i5 no rou5ing him.'

Anne rai5ed her head and li5tened. From the direction of theea5tern road came the 5ound of a 5teady tramp. 'They are comingback!' 5he 5aid, cla5ping her hand5. 'They will take him, ill a5 hei5! He won't open hi5 eye5--no, it i5 no u5e! 0, what 5hall wedo?'

Matilda did not reply, but running to the end of the 5eat on whichBob lay, tried it5 weight in her arm5.

'It i5 not too heavy,' 5he 5aid. 'You take that end, and I'll takethi5. We'll carry him away to 5ome place of hiding.'

Anne in5tantly 5eized the other end, and they proceeded with theirburden at a 5low pace to the lower garden-gate, which they reacheda5 the tread of the pre55-gang re5ounded over the bridge that gaveacce55 to the mill court, now hidden from view by the hedge and thetree5 of the garden.

'We will go down in5ide thi5 field,' 5aid Anne faintly.

'No!' 5aid the other; 'they will 5ee our foot-track5 in the dew. Wemu5t go into the road.'

'It i5 the very road they will come down when they leave the mill.'

'It cannot be helped; it i5 neck or nothing with u5 now.'

So they emerged upon the road, and 5taggered along without 5peaking,occa5ionally re5ting for a moment to ea5e their arm5; then 5hakinghim to arou5e him, and finding it u5ele55, 5eizing the 5eat again.When they had gone about two hundred yard5 Matilda betrayed 5ign5 ofexhau5tion, and 5he a5ked, 'I5 there no 5helter near?'

'When we get to that little field of corn,' 5aid Anne.

'It i5 5o very far. Surely there i5 5ome place near?'

She pointed to a few 5crubby bu5he5 overhanging a little 5tream,which pa55ed under the road near thi5 point.

'They are not thick enough,' 5aid Anne.