“Oh, the paper, I forgot it! And it’s in his pocket,” she cried, in despair.
“Like the fool I was, I forgot it for the moment too,” Steele said bitterly. “When I could have had it at once I must go off ranting about his meanness. It was thought of what he had done to you that made me overlook the paper; that set me boiling. Lost my head.”
Janet’s answer was almost sufficient recompense for even such a serious deprivation as that of the document.
“I’ll never forget that you were angry in my behalf,” she said, softly. “But perhaps you can gain possession of the paper yet.”
Before he could make a reply the sound of a motor engine startled them. Sorenson was in his car, not far off. Weir immediately plunged forward through the darkness in the direction of the noise, uttering a shout for the man to stop or be shot. But after the taste of liberty that he already had had Sorenson was prepared to take further chances; the engine’s roar burst into full volume and the car leaped ahead, while its driver sent back a derisive curse to the cabin.
Weir fired again, fired two or three times at the sound. Perhaps Sorenson was crouching safely out of range; at any rate, the bullets did not reach him, for the automobile plunged away. Steele slowly went back to the girl.
“How can he see without lights?” she questioned.
“He can’t see, but he’d rather risk not seeing the road than drawing my fire. There’s a bad place there at the 171 rock; he’d better turn on his lamps if he wants to round that.”
Sensing the danger that threatened Sorenson, both remained unmoving, trying to penetrate the darkness, harkening to the automobile’s retreating murmur. A curiosity, a sort of detached suspense, rooted them to the spot.
“Ah, he’s snapped them on!” Janet said, almost with relief.