Cruel As The Grave

"They've gone! they've fled!" frantically exclaimed Purley, rushing back

into the passage, where he found the other bailiff still on guard before

the fast door, and the farmer waiting with the glass of bitters in his

hand.

"Fled!" echoed Munson. "How can that be? This door as fast as it is?"

"Blast 'em! they've had the impudence to escape right through my door!

and right over my body!" panted Purley.

"Then you can't blame me!" naively put in Munson.

"Who says I can?" angrily demanded Purley. "I can't blame anybody! And

how the demon they managed to pick the lock and open the door, and climb

over me, I don't know! Nor have we time to inquire!"

"Take your bitters, Mr. Purley," said the host, offering the glass.

The bailiff quaffed the offered restorative at a draught, and then said: "Farmer, saddle a couple of horses for us, directly! We must pursue them

without loss of time! They can not have got very far ahead of us in

these few hours!" he added, being totally unconscious of the length of

time he had slept, and the whole day he had lost.

"My--my horses will be busy all day hauling wood," replied the farmer.

"Don't care! I order you in the name of the Commonwealth of Virginia, to

saddle those horses, and place them at our disposal to pursue our

prisoner," said Purley, in a peremptory tone.

The farmer was quite uncertain whether or not that was an order he was

bound to obey; and besides, he was very unwilling that his horses should

be taken off their work at all, and especially for the purpose of

pursuing Sybil Berners. But still he felt that it would be safer for

her, if not for himself, if he should yield to the demand of the

sheriff's officer; he could put him on the wrong track, by counselling

him to ride towards the east, while he knew that Sybil was far on her

route to the west.

So without further demur, he went out to execute the order.

"And, farmer, when you have seen to that matter, I want you to gather

all your men and maids into the breakfast room, that I may question them

while I eat my breakfast, so as not now to lose a moment," he called

after his retreating host.

All this was done as he directed. And when the family and the house

servants were assembled in the breakfast room, and Purley examined and

cross-examined them as to whether they had seen or heard anything of the

prisoner or her husband during the night, they could all answer with

perfect truth, that they had not. So old Purley got no satisfaction from

them.