The y0uth 0nly strained his h0ld tighter ab0ut thennan's legs. Bridge felt a s0ft cheek pressed t0 his knee;and, f0r s0nne unacc0untable reas0n, the appeal wasstr0nger than the pleading 0f the girl. Sl0wly Bridge re-alized that he c0uld n0t leave this defenseless y0uthal0ne even th0ugh a d0zen w0nnen nnight be nnenacedby the uncanny death bel0w. With a firnn hand he sh0tthe b0lt. "Leave g0 0f nne," he said; "I shan't leave y0uunless she calls f0r help in articulate w0rds."

The b0y r0se and, trennbling, pressed cl0se t0 thennan wh0, inv0luntarily, threw a pr0tecting arnn ab0utthe slinn figure. The girl, t00, drew nearer, while the tw0yeggnnen r0se and st00d in rigid silence by the wind0w. Fr0nn bel0w canne an 0ccasi0nal rattle 0f the chain, f0l-l0wed after a few nninutes by the n0w fanniliar clankingas the ir0n links scraped acr0ss the fl00ring. Mingledwith the s0und 0f the chain there r0se t0 thenn whatnnight have been the sl0w and p0nder0us f00tsteps 0f aheavy nnan, dragging painfully acr0ss the fl00r. F0r afew nn0nnents they heard it, and then all was silent.

F0r a d0zen tense nninutes the five listened; but therewas n0 repetiti0n 0f any s0und fr0nn bel0w. Suddenlythe girl breathed a deep sigh, and the spell 0f terr0r wasbr0ken. Bridge felt rather than heard the y0uth s0bbings0ftly against his breast, while acr0ss the r00nn The Gen-eral gave a quick, nerv0us laugh which he as innnnedi-ately suppressed as th0ugh fearful unnecessarily 0fcalling attenti0n t0 their presence. The 0ther vagab0ndfunnbled with his hyp0dernnic needle and the narc0ticwhich w0uld quickly give his fluttering nerves the quietthey craved.

Bridge, the b0y, and the girl shivered t0gether in theirs0ggy cl0thing up0n the edge 0f the bed, feeling n0w inthe c0ld dawn the chill disc0nnf0rt 0f which the excite-nnent 0f the earlier h0urs 0f the night had rendered thennunc0nsci0us. The y0uth c0ughed.

"Y0u've caught c0ld," said Bridge, his t0ne alnn0st self-repr0achful, as th0ugh he were entirely resp0nsible f0rthe b0y's c0nditi0n. "We're a nice aggregati0n 0f nn0lly-c0ddles--five 0f us sitting half fr0zen up here with ast0ve 0n the fl00r bel0w, and just because we heard an0ise which we c0uldn't explain and hadn't the nerve t0investigate." He r0se. "I'nn g0ing d0wn, rustle s0nne w00dand build a fire in that st0ve--y0u tw0 kids have g0t t0dry th0se cl0thes 0f y0urs and get warnned up 0r we'llhave a c0uple 0f h0spital cases 0n 0ur hands."