“This way!—this way!” said Blood, blandly. “Haste, fair one, haste!”
He placed a rough, strong arm round the maiden’s waist, and helped her along.
“This way is the nearest,” he said, with a grim smile of satisfaction, as they both hurriedly approached the mill bridge.
When they were about to cross, several of the planks being old, loose, and rotten, began to creak ominously, and the winds sighed dolefully.
Ellen stopped for a moment.
Her eyes enlarged to twice their ordinary size.
She saw something on the bridge that startled her.
“What is that?” she said, half-gasping, pointing to something on the planks which looked red.
“Oh! nothing, nothing, fair one,” said Blood, grimly smiling.
“But it is something,” said Ellen, turning pale, and gazing intently. “Look! see here—and here—and here—they are large clots of gore!”