"Fly?" said Katie; "where?"
"Yes, fly!"
"But how can we get out? Shall we go out boldly through the gate?"
Suddenly some one came between them, and a voice chimed into the conversation.
"Yes," said the voice, "fly! That's the ticket. There's a devil here—a she-devil. I'll show you the way out. If you want to get off without Ashby seeing you, I'll show you how; I know the way. It's a secret passage. That's how I escaped the last time; and I'll take you to it when it gets dark."
It was Russell who had thus interposed. Harry and Katie showed no resentment whatever at his intrusion, but caught at his suggestion. Russell alluded with clumsy and rather vulgar playfulness to their tender relations, and offered, as guardian, to give Katie away the moment they should find a parson.
Meanwhile Dolores had gone out into the court-yard, followed by Ashby. There they stopped, and looked at one another in silence.
"Who's that fellow?" said Ashby at last.
Dolores explained that he was a friend of hers who had been of great help in Cuba. She did not tell how tender their relations had been.
"H'm!" said Ashby. "Never heard of him before. You seemed very intimate."