"The maddus folk, miss; and they've got a carriage round the front." With a strength that was almost superhuman, Mary recovered herself, and grasping the situation, she whispered to North: "Is this true?" "Listen," he said. Mary clung to him tightly as the sounds of the doors being forced bore unanswerable witness to the words; and then, as if to shield him from the threatened danger, she thrust him from her and followed across the surgery. "No, no!" she panted. "Quick, before it is too late." "Go?" he said, in answer to her frenzied appeal. "Yes, yes; quick--quick! The garden--the meadows." North seemed dazed, but Joe Chegg, who had run excitedly to the Manor after meeting the old housekeeper, more with the idea of seeing what was going on than affording help, now caught North's arm and hurried him out of the surgery and down the nearest path, then in and out among the dense shrubs, so that they were well out of sight before the door yielded, and Cousin Thompson's emissaries found their prey had gone. North made no opposition to the efforts of those who held him on either side; but, weak with long fasting, and now utterly dazed, he staggered from time to time, and would have fallen but for the sustaining arms. "Rect'ry, miss? All right," said Joe Chegg. "Hold up, sir, or you'll be down." For North had made a lurch, and clung wildly to the sturdy young fellow. "Oh, try--pray try!" moaned Mary, as she gazed back. "Now; I'll help all I can." "I'll manage him," said Joe, who took the appeal to himself. "You let him lean on me. Why, I thought, miss, as how you couldn't walk." "Hush! don't speak. They may hear us," whispered Mary, gazing fearfully back as they pressed on through the meadows with the bottom of the Rectory garden still a couple of hundred yards away, when, as Mary glanced sidewise at North, she saw his eyes close, and at the same moment his legs gave way, and he sank towards the grass. Mary uttered a piteous groan and gazed at Chegg, who had loosened his hold on North's arm, and now stood with hat raised, scratching his head. "Now, if some one else was here," he muttered; and then, in answer to an unspoken question, he cried aloud: "Well, I d'know, miss; but, anyhow, I'll try." A life of toil had made the young fellow's muscles pretty tough, or else he could not have risen so sturdily after kneeling down, and, contriving to get North upon his shoulder, to start off once more, with Mary urging him to use every exertion, for a shout from behind had thrilled her, and on looking back it was to see two men coming along the meadow at a quick trot, while a third was walking swiftly behind. Volume 3, Chapter XX. A RACE FOR LIBERTY.