"You must not fear," answered Leonie bravely. "There are many things that we both can do, now that there is no longer any danger from him. But the first thing is to attend to Dick, poor little Dick. You must forget Ben, Liz, and remember only that Dick needs you."
"And you?"
"You may be quite sure that I shall never desert you while you want me. I have no mother, Liz, no one on this earth any more than you have, and after I have accomplished my mission we will go away and live together, if you wish, getting what happiness we can out of the life that we shall make for ourselves."
"God bless you, my noble friend. I think you have already saved me from a madhouse."
[CHAPTER XXIII.]
A nebulous gleam of light from an almost exhausted candle fell upon Leonie and Liz as they sat silently in the room where Dick lay in a disturbed slumber.
He had been placed upon the almost comfortable bed that Ben Mauprat had used as his exclusive resting-place, and appeared more comfortable than they could have hoped.
An old-fashioned clock upon the mantelpiece tolled the hour of two, and, with a shiver of horror and dread that she could not control, Liz drew nearer to Leonie.
"You go to bed," she whispered in a tone that would not disturb the child. "You must be almost dead!"