She paused for a space to look at him in the moonlight. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"Feel in the pocket of my tunic," he said somberly. "You'll find a folded slip of newspaper cutting. Read it."
For the length of a breath she hesitated, and then, wonderingly, she complied with his request. Fumbling, she drew forth the clipping. From her sweater pocket she produced a match safe, and struck a light. She glanced at the headlines, read the first paragraph of print; then the paper fluttered from her fingers, and she sighed bitterly.
"You know!" she said in a harsh undertone. "We—my brother and I—that's why we're here. There's no use trying to pretend anything else."
"Not a bit of use," he asserted. He regarded her steadily, his eyes murky in the pallid light. "You are wanted in the states for a capital crime. I'm an officer of the law. If you're wise you'll go back where you came from, and leave me here as I am."
"Leave you," she stammered—"I—what do you mean?"
"Simply that I'd rather not accept freedom at your hands," he returned. "If you pull me out of this mess, I'll repay you by arresting you again, and this time I'll make sure that you don't escape. It's a cruel position to be placed in, and in fairness to both of us—you'd better go."
"And leave you like this?" she cried.
"Possibly I can dig myself out," he answered. "I'm going to keep trying. If I succeed, you'll know about it some day, because it'll be my business to hunt until I find you. If I fail, we won't meet again." His features relaxed for an instant in a smile of gentle melancholy. "I guess that would be the kindest way out for both of us." He reached forward with his free arm, and his hand pressed softly over her closed fist. "Do you want to say good-by, Alison—before you go?"
She was bending above him, looking into his face with tear-wet eyes. But suddenly he felt her wrist grow tense, and with a quick movement she drew away her hand and stumbled to her feet. "You must think very badly of me," she said, "to believe that I would—that I could—" She stopped with a gulp, unable to go on. And then, without further speech, she stepped back around the tree trunk, and returned in moody silence to her digging.