Sheer exhaustion at last caused her to slacken her pace and look behind her at the lonely stretch of road over which her flying feet had swiftly carried her. The old house in which she had passed such awful hours was out of sight; a turn in the road had hidden it from view. No baleful pursuer was on her track yet. She turned and looked before her. A long stretch of country road, dotted here and there with poor-looking houses, lay ahead. She wet her handkerchief in a rill that trickled by the side of the road, bound it about her throbbing head, and set forward again, steadily, but at a less swinging pace than she had used before. Exhausted nature could not hold out at the rapid rate with which she had begun. On and on she went through the blistering sunshine. Her head ached, the hot road burnt her feet, the warm wind blew the dust into her strained and weary eyes. No matter--she did not heed these trifling things. She was free! That was the glad refrain to which her bounding heart kept time. She was so happy she could not realize her great physical weakness and weariness. It seemed to her at last that hours had passed since she had set forth on her journey, carefully following some directions Fanny Colville had given her. The houses and lots began to stand nearer together. She was getting nearer to the great city. She began to be afraid that she would meet old Peter Leveret returning to his home after his errand to Doctor Pratt. At last she came to a little house standing apart from the others. She peeped in and saw an elderly woman sitting at the open door sewing on a coarse garment, and singing blithely at her task. She opened the gate and went up to her. "Will you let me come in and rest, and have a drink of water?" said she, gently. "I am very tired!" The woman looked up in surprise. God knows what she thought of the poor girl standing there bareheaded and dusty, in her blue morning dress, looking so drooping and weary, but she moved aside and said kindly: "Yes! dear heart, come in and rest, and have a bit and a sup--you look as if you needed all three." The kind words and gentle smile went to the lonely girl's heart. Tears started into her eyes as she took the offered glass of water and drained it thirstily. "I thank you, I do not wish anything to eat," she answered wearily, "but if you will give me an old bonnet I will be glad--I have no bonnet, you see--and an old dress, for I do not wish to go into the city with this morning-dress--I will pay you well, indeed I will. See, I will give you my diamond ring." The woman started in surprise as her strange visitant turned the costly ring upon her finger. "Here is some strange mystery," she thought within herself. "The girl is running away, mayhap, and wants a disguise." She went to a closet, and brought out an old straw hat and thick veil, and a long, light sack somewhat worn.