"Through that door, my dear, and on to the lawn. You'll catch 'em if you make haste. Bless us and save us, what is the matter with her? Any one would think poor Claire had run off with her young man. Dear, dear! what a blessing to be sure," sighed Mrs Barclay complacently, as she fanned herself, "to have one's own Jo-si-ah, and no troubles of that kind now." Cora was gone--out through the window and on to the grass. There were couples here and there in the dim light, but not those she wished to see, as she stood passing her large lace scarf over her head. "What shall I do?" she moaned; and in frantic haste she ran down the first path she came to, feeling more and more sure that she was wrong; but directly after she found that this crossed a broad grass path at right angles; and as she reached it she uttered a gasp, for there was a couple coming down towards her, and she felt rather than saw that it was those she sought. They were close upon her, coming between the bushes, and Morton was talking loudly, with the thick utterance of one nearly inebriated, while Claire was answering in a troubled way. "Very sorry," he said slowly, "sorry, little sis. Love you too much not to 'pologise, but--man's position--as officer and a gentleman--" "Yes, yes, dear, you've said so before." "And I must say you--Hallo! Who's thish?" "Claire!" cried Cora, in a low whisper. "Back to the house--quick!" "Miss Dean!" "Yes. Quick! For heaven's sake. Go. Your father." Cora did not know it, but she had touched the right chord. Claire had seemed startled at first, and had hesitated as they stood together in the darkness with Morton holding the new-comer's arm; but as Cora exclaimed, as the place of safety Claire was to seek, "your father!" the thought flashed through Claire's brain that he had had some terrible seizure--or, worse, that horror of which he was in dread had come upon him, and in an instant, she had turned and run back towards the house. "Why, what the dickensh--I say, what's matter?" stammered Morton. "Here, Miss Dean, I know you--you know--bu'ful Miss Dean. Proud of your company. Officer and a gentleman--and take my--" It was so cleverly done that Cora was taken by surprise. She was about, as the simplest way out of the difficulty, to take the lad's arm, and walk back with him to the house, when there was a slight rustle behind her, the sound of a blow or fall, and the latter muffled and strange, for a great cavalry cloak was thrown over her head, twisted tightly round her, binding her arms to her side, and stifling the cry she uttered; and as she struggled fiercely for her liberty she was lifted from her feet and borne away.