But for once she took no notice, and she was turning the handle when he sprung forward and stumbled over a footstool. George laughed. William darted across the room to Annie, and, holding the door open, said: “Go, dear--quick!” But the power to do so had gone from the frightened woman’s limbs. She hesitated. In that one moment Harry had recovered himself, and, just as William was giving her a gentle little push, her husband reached them, and, seizing Annie’s arm roughly, swung her round into the middle of the room again. There came a sullen imprecation from the lips of every other man in the room, and William, with a howl of rage, felled his staggering brother like an ox to the ground. Wilfred, sober for the moment, turned to the wife, who had clasped her hands in fright as she saw her husband fall. “Go, my child, go!” he said earnestly. “He isn’t hurt. For Heaven’s sake, go before he gets up!” They were all between her and the door now, swearing, fallen husband and the rest. She turned, fled through the conservatory, and out into the garden; she ran, ran--over the steeply-sloping lawn and down into the shrubbery at the bottom, too much scared to stop herself. She fancied she saw a tall, black figure among the trees in front of her, and called “Lilian!”--but there was no answer. Then, having reached the path that ran between the trees all around the garden she leaned against a tree to get back her breath. The next minute she heard a man’s footsteps coming hurriedly down the walk. Her excited fancy told her it was her husband come to wreak his disappointed fury on her; she tried to get behind a tree, but there was a wire fence which stopped her. She crouched down on the ground with her face hidden, until the footsteps came quite close and stopped. “Don’t, don’t! I can’t bear any more!” she said, hoarsely. But an arm was put round her very gently, and tried to raise her from the ground. “My darling, it is not your brutal husband. Don’t you know who it is?” “Oh, George!” she cried, with a gasp of relief, as he raised her from the ground. She hung on his arm, quite still, except for a convulsive trembling from time to time, for a few minutes, until her shaken sense began to return; then she tried to stand alone. “I am better now, thank you, George. But, oh, I was so frightened!” “Lie still in my arms, my darling,” said he, his voice shaking. He drew her more closely to him, and she could feel the quick beating of his heart against hers. “Let me go, George; I am quite well now. You frighten me too!” she said, piteously, imploringly, trying to unlock his hands with her slender fingers. He held her more closely at once. “I frighten you, Annie! I would not hurt a hair of your beautiful head for the world. Oh, my darling, my darling, tell me you are better! Look up at me, Annie.” She raised her eyes timidly to his face, then dropped them again, as his passionate gaze met hers.