“Nay, William, I shall not leave you in this place. The marriage of Lucy Ellet will occur to-night, and Mr. Elmore has kindly offered you both an asylum in his house until my return, or for the remainder of your lives, should it be necessary. The remote and secluded nature of the spot will withdraw you from the intrusions of impertinent curiosity.”
At that instant, the voices of men were heard without the cavern, and a fearful suspicion dawned suddenly on the minds of all present.
“Oh, God!” exclaimed young Stanley, starting from his couch, “your pursuers are seeking you: keep a profound silence, or your voices will betray you.”
“Let them find us,” said Heath, aloud. “I am weary of eluding them, and am glad my hour is arrived.”
“William, dear William, be silent,” whispered the lady, bending toward him with a look of unspeakable terror, as a deep flush mantled the cheek that a moment back was so pale.
“Alice, I tell you it is useless——”
“Hush, love, for my sake, for your child’s sake,” urged the lady in his ear, as her countenance became agonized.
The voices without now grew so audible that words could be distinguished. The old man clasped his hands in resignation, and his half-parted lips murmured, “The Lord’s will be done!” Alice threw one arm around the neck of her husband, with a gesture of unutterable love as though she would shield him, and placed the other hand on his mouth, while she trembled in every limb.
“The entrance of their asylum is well hidden,” said one of the voices. “It will be a day’s work to discover it.”
“Let us spend the day at it then,” replied the other speaker, in a gruffer and harsher tone. “We will not give up the search until we find it.”