“Oh, no. Please don’t. You forget yourself. You’ve been drinking. Let me go, I say, let me go....”
His answer was to clutch her more fiercely. With a sudden wrench she freed herself and broke away. He stood swaying for a moment, then with a drunken laugh sprang after her. His arms were once more about to close around her when Hugh leapt forward and dealt him a blow. The man went down.
The girl had turned. In the radiance of an arc-light Hugh saw her fear-distorted face.
“Miss Emslie!”
“Yes, yes,” she panted. “Oh, please help me. I’m afraid....”
“You needn’t be afraid. I’ll deal with this chap.”
“I don’t know you, but I’ve seen you often. How can I thank you....”
“Never mind about that. Run home to your friends.”
She vanished. As the man rose Hugh recognized Paul Vulning, his face flushed with wine and deadly with rage.
“You young devil, you! Why did you do that?”