"You brute!" she almost whispered. Her lips were quivering pitifully, but the fount of tears was dried, and her eyes blazed with an intensity that conquered Whittaker for the moment. He lay back on the pillows again, with a smile that was twisted into a rictus of agony as a twinge wrung the injured limb. "Call me any hard names you like," he muttered, closing his eyes under the intolerable contempt and loathing of Marguerite's steadfast scrutiny. "I've said what I had to say, and I'll not depart from a syllable of it. You'd have married me one of these days if you hadn't met Armathwaite. He has turned your pretty little head with his knight-errant airs and cavalry officer appearance. So I've determined to pull you back by force--see? You'll get over it in time. You and I will be as good chums as ever when this gale has blown itself out. Don't think I shall hold you less dear because your father placed himself in danger of the law. He escaped neatly before, and can escape again. I'll even tell you how. No one here knows--" He opened his eyes again, to ascertain if some dawning interest in the project he was about to reveal--which was precisely that already set forth by Armathwaite--had driven the horror from her drawn features; but Marguerite had vanished. He listened for her footsteps, and could hear no sound. He shouted loudly, and tugged frenziedly at a bell. Betty came running, thinking he had fallen out of bed, and needed assistance. "Why, whatever is the matter?" she cried, with true Yorkshire abruptness, when she found him lying as she had left him a few minutes earlier. "Where is Miss Meg?" he raged. "Tell her she must come here--at once! Tell her that! Use those very words--come at once!" "My! What a to-do about nowt! I was sure the house was on fire!" "Confound you, will you go!" he shouted. "Yes, I'll go! For goodness' sake, keep quiet. You're doing yourself no good by gettin' that excited. Oh, you needn't bawl at me! I'll find her. It isn't such a big place that she can be lost for more'n a minnit or two." Grumbling audibly at the funny ways some folk had, to be sure, Betty went downstairs. She looked into the drawing-room, dining-room, and library, but Marguerite was in none of those places. Then she passed out into the garden; through the open window Whittaker could hear her asking Armathwaite if he knew where Miss Meg was. He caught the answer, too. "Yes. She left me to visit Mr. Whittaker." "She's not there, sir, and he has just sent me for her in an awful hurry," said Betty. "Is it anything I can do for him?" "No, sir. He wants Miss Meg." "Well, she can't be far away. She may be in her bedroom. Go and look there. If I see her, I'll hand on your message."