"I don’t know what you’ve been a-doin’, an’ it’s none of my business. But I’ll want pay for this night’s work." "Make yourself easy," I replied. "We’ve done nothing against the law." "Oh, it’s not the law I’m botherin’ about. There’s little law for a Chaynese; an’ it’s not me that would be hollerin’ murther if you’ve sent a dozen of ’em to sup with the divil to-night. But you might have damaged the hack, an’ ye’ll pay for that." I promised him a liberal reward, and we rolled rapidly out Sutter Street to Van Ness Avenue, and in a few minutes more had drawn up before Wharton Kendrick’s house. "I am afraid," said Mr. Baldwin as I opened the door to the hack, "that our charge is hurt. She has been groaning for a while, and now I think she has fainted." My nerves had served me without flinching through the dangers of the escape. But at the apprehension that all our efforts had been in vain, and that death, not we, had been the rescuer, I fell a-trembling. "I hope not," I cried. "Perhaps she is only scared. Let us carry her into the house." As I put my hand to the girl, however, my fears received a fresh provocation, for the back of her dress was wet with the sticky wetness of coagulating blood. We lifted her between us, and carried her up the steps. We had scarce reached the upper landing when the door was flung open, and Miss Kendrick peered out. "Have you brought her?" she cried. "She is here," I replied, "but--" "Oh, what is the matter?" interrupted Miss Kendrick in a voice of alarm, as she saw that we carried a senseless burden. "She is hurt," I explained as we laid our charge down upon a hall seat. "There was a row over her, and she got one of the bullets that was meant for us." Miss Kendrick grew white, and I looked to see her follow the Chinese girl by falling in a faint. But her small figure straightened as though in rebound from a physical shock, and in a moment she was directing servants to carry the girl to the room that had been prepared for her, ordering hot water, hot blankets, lint and bandages, and sending me on the run for the nearest doctor. *CHAPTER VII* *IN THE CURRENT* The Chinese girl’s wound proved a desperate matter, and for days she hung between life and death, dependent for the flickering vital spark upon the ceaseless ministrations of her self-appointed nurses. Mercy Fillmore was brought to the house by Mr. Baldwin at an early hour of the morning that followed the rescue, and took her place as naturally and unostentatiously as though she had always been one of the family. "She’s a thousand times lovelier than I had expected," confessed Laura Kendrick, "and when you see her you’re to be very nice to her. I’m sure you owe her that much, after making her all this trouble."