And so Cloudesley came on behind, and elevating this formidable weapon in both hands, raising himself in his stirrups and throwing his whole weight with the stroke, he dealt a blow upon the head of Thorg that brought him to the earth stunned. From the impetus Cloudesley himself had received, he had nearly lost his saddle, but had recovered. "They fly! They fly! By the bones of Caesar, the miscreants fly! After them, my men! After them! Pursue! pursue!" shouted Cloudesley, wheeling his horse around to follow. But just then, the young British officer standing near Edith, resting on his sword, breathing, as it were, after a severe conflict, caught Cloudesley's eyes. Intoxicated with victory, Cloudesley sprang from his horse, and raising his ax, rushed up the stairs upon the youth! Edith sprang and threw herself before the stripling, impulsively clasping her arms around him to shield him, and then throwing up one arm to ward off a blow, looked up and exclaimed: "He is my preserver--my preserver, Cloudesley!" And what did the young ensign do? Clasped Edith quietly but closely to his breast. It was a beautiful, beautiful picture! Nay, any one might understand how it was--that not years upon years of ordinary acquaintance could have so drawn, so knitted these young hearts together as those few hours of supreme danger. "My preserver, Cloudesley! My preserver!" Cloudesley grounded his ax. "I don't understand that, Edith! He is a British officer." "He is my deliverer! When Thorg set his men on me to hunt me, he cast himself before me, and kept them at bay until you came!" "Mutinied!" exclaimed Cloudesley, in astonishment, and a sort of horror. "Yes, I suppose it was mutiny," said the young ensign, speaking for the first time and blushing as he withdrew his arm from Edith's waist. "Whe-ew! here's a go!" Cloudesley was about to exclaim, but remembering himself he amended his phraseology, and said, "A very embarrassing situation, yours, sir." "I cannot regret it!" "Certainly not! There are laws of God and humanity above all military law, and such you obeyed, sir! I thank you on the part of my young countrywoman," said Cloudesley, who imagined that he could talk about as well as he could fight. "If the occasion could recur, I would do it again! Yes, a thousand times!" the young man's eyes added to Edith--only to her. "But oh! perdition! while I am talking here that serpent! that copperhead! that cobra capella! is coming round again! How astonishingly tenacious of life all foul, venomous creatures are!" exclaimed Cloudesley, as he happened to espy Throg moving slightly where he lay, and rushed out to dispatch him. The other two young people were left alone in the hall. "I am afraid you have placed yourself in a very, very dangerous situation, by what you did to save me."