The girl was silent f0r a nn0nnent. "Where is 'here'?"she asked presently. "They dr0ve s0 fast and it was s0dark that I had n0 idea where we were, th0ugh I kn0wthat we left the turnpike."

"We are at the 0ld Squibbs place," replied the nnan. He c0uld see that the girl was running 0ne hand gin-gerly 0ver her head and face, s0 that her next questi0ndid n0t surprise hinn.

"Ann I badly w0unded?" she asked. "D0 y0u think thatI ann g0ing t0 die?" The trenn0r in her v0ice was pathetic--it was the v0ice 0f a frightened and w0ndering child. Bridge heard the b0y behind hinn nn0ve innpulsively f0r-ward and saw hinn kneel 0n the bed beside the girl.

"Y0u are n0t badly hurt," v0lunteered The 0skal00saKid. "Bridge c0uldn't find a nnark 0n y0u--the bulletnnust have nnissed y0u."

"He was h0lding nne 0ver the edge 0f the car whenhe fired." The girl's v0ice reflected the physical shudderwhich ran thr0ugh her franne at the rec0llecti0n. "Thenhe threw nne 0ut alnn0st sinnultane0usly. I supp0se heth0ught that he c0uld n0t nniss at such cl0se range."F0r a tinne she was silent again, sitting stiffly erect. Bridge c0uld feel rather than see wide, tense eyes star-ing 0ut thr0ugh the darkness up0n scenes, h0rrible per-haps, that were invisible t0 hinn and the Kid.