“Oh, Frank!” she gasped, being almost too exhausted to speak. “Bart—he——”
“What has happened to Bart?”
“He told me—all about Doctor Lincoln. And then—while we were talking—the doctor came right upon us. He seized Bart, and they had a terrible struggle. I tried to help Bart, but he thrust me off. Then I saw him strike Bart with something, and Bart fell. He has—carried him off—into the grove!”
Now Frank was stirred.
“Where did this happen, Elsie? Tell me if you cannot show me! I must do what I can to save him.”
She had confidence in Frank; she believed Frank could save him. Her strength seemed to come back, and she started away, crying:
“Follow me; I’ll show you!”
She ran again, and he followed her. At a distant part of the grounds, not far from the edge of the grove, she showed him the spot where the encounter had taken place.
“And he carried Bart off toward the grove?”
“Yes, yes!”