“I lose my job if he does,” was the sullen answer. Then he raised the rifle, with one finger on the trigger. “Once more, come back or I’ll fire!” he bawled, distinctly. There was a little splash in the water as the swimmer turned around. “You can fire and be d—d!” he shouted, hoarsely. Marion covered her eyes, so that she could not see what happened. There was a report of a rifle that echoed across the water. “Hell Gate” or its vicinity had received another victim. CHAPTER XIII. MARION FINDS SALLIE. As Marion rushed back to the hospital a boat moved slowly away from the little dock. It was the boat from Bellevue and had left its usual quota of patients. The horrible scene which she had just witnessed was one which she knew would remain with her always and which she would almost have given her life to have prevented. “Oh, how terrible his life must have been!” she thought, “if the poor fellow preferred death in such a horrible manner.” Then, curiously enough, on the very steps of the hospital she came face to face with the “Bible reader.” “What has happened?” asked the woman, as she read Marion’s horrified expression. “A convict shot and drowned,” was the young girl’s low answer. “Another victim has paid the penalty of sin or weakness!” “Unrepentant, unforgiven,” murmured the woman, in horror. The young girl turned upon her with an agonized countenance. “We cannot say that—we do not know,” she said very sharply; then she fled hastily up the steps and into the building. In order to reach the floor Marion had to pass the reception ward, and, as usual, she glanced in at the door in passing. There was something going on that was out of the ordinary, but she was too upset to inquire into its meaning. All that night the scene that she had witnessed haunted her, and she arose the next morning looking pale and haggard. As she left her room the Superintendent of Nurses met her. She was a middle-aged woman, rather stout and very dignified. “I am going to transfer you to the medical ward for awhile, Miss Marlowe,” she said, briefly. “You can go in there at once and report to Miss Franklin.” Marion bowed and turned in the direction indicated. It was a sad disappointment to her to be obliged to leave the “Maternity.” “I almost love Miss Williams,” she said to herself, “but as I seem to have a faculty for loving almost everybody, perhaps I shall love Miss Franklin.” As she reached the entrance to the ward she stopped a moment. There were several new patients being put to bed, and Miss Franklin was busy. Suddenly from the direction of the patients’ elevator there came a fearful shriek. Marion’s face turned pale and her knees trembled as she heard it. Miss Franklin darted past her just as the elevator stopped and let out an orderly and two doctors, who were all struggling with a patient.