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"Trust led voice He dropped to his knees, pressed his lips together, and squeezed his eyes shut He pushed his face into the pile When he struggled up again, his face was freighted with a oneaway from him

"We&039;ll find out," came Matthew&039;s answer, as he looked up and saw the hawks co The haere al as they came

"Oh, sh-!" she started to say, but then she dropped down as he had done, leaned forward, and with a e hawk darted in first, its talons extended Matthew stood his ground, his eyes half-slitted He was ready to dodge if his stratages spread It was about to strike Matthew caught the red glea

a few feet from Matthew&039;s face, the hawk suddenly pulled its claws in and accelerated He felt the wind of its passage as it streaked by with a blur of wings The second hawk skimmed over Matthew&039;s head but its talons had also retracted Berry got up off the ground, the blood on her face covered bycircle above them and then, in the manner of any practical killer, call off the hunt The birds flew back toward the vineyard, in the direction of their aerie

If the boys atching the hawks to lead theatehouse," Matthew said, and together the two dirty crows flew along the road toward the only way out

There was no one around the house Dragonflies flitted over the lily pond, which enticed Matthew and Berry to wash their faces yet they both knew there was no ti past the pond, both of thes afire a hundred yards farther on, and there stood the white gatehouse with its ate itself was secured by an iron rod Matthew tried the gatehouse&039;s door and it swung open Inside there was a ss a brown coat hung froled a canteen with a leather strap Matthew judged how best to break the nearestHis y The upper lid of his left eye ollen and his lips felt shredded He said to Berry, "Put your back against mine and stand firh the , careful not to break out all the glass at the bottoht surely , he said, "Guide me!" and Berry directed him as he twisted his body and leaned backward to rub the cords against the edges of glass

He worked with haste but not without pain, for glass cut skin as well as rope If he sliced an artery, all was for naught He did cut hiritted his teeth, shifted his position, and kept sawing

"That&039;s it!" Berry said "You&039;ve got it!"

Not yet Da as Hudson Greathouse&039;s breath

What are you going to do,to damned do," he said, and Berry asked, "Whati" but he shook his head and concentrated on the cutting So foul crept into Berry&039;s mouth and she spat violently

"Keep watch!" he told her, but he thought-hoped-the boys were still searching the woods for them His shoulders were about to burst fro to get through the Gordian Knot with a butterknife Ow, that was skin! Co!

He wrenched at his bonds Nothing yet Then he felt the pressure lessen just a fraction and he saith a ined he heard the cords part with a quick pop, but whether he&039;d actually heard that or not, suddenly his wrists were coht them free The blood roared back into his hands as the cords fell away He iers were still ths of dead ave a deep sob and began to cry but Matthew caught her filthy, beautiful face by the chin "Stop that No time" She stopped He reached for the canteen, uncorked it, and poured soht as he took a taste There had to be soate-watcher He drank a s that burned his lob of horse shit on the canteen&039;sthrough the coat and the desk drawers He said urgently, "Coate The iron rod was not so heavy that one older boy couldn&039;t pull it free froate open

"Stay off the road," he told her, as he stared into her eyes "Just keep going, noas soon as I can"

"You&039;re co back for the notebook"

"Matthew! You&039;re mad! They&039;ll-"

"Shut," he ordered "Don&039;t waste time" He pushed her out with his new-found and o back! If they-"

"I&039;ate open If they see it they&039;ll think we&039;re both out That&039;s why I say you&039;ve got to stay off the road, because they&039;ll send riders Go!"

She hesitated, but only for a few seconds Then she went, fast as a hare before a hawk

But soht as he returned to the gatehouse Especially a hare who did the unexpected He took a longer drink of ruh the coat and the desk drawers, he found nothing useful Like one of those ers had told hi he&039;d been born fifty years too early for this particular occupation Still, here he was

If Chapel destroyed that notebook-and he would, as soon as he thought Matthew and Berry had escaped-then all Matthew had to show Gardner Lillehorne was a madman in a cellar

Get in quickly, break that office door open, and get out quickly Would soamei What about the women who&039;d cooked their feasti He could stand here and second-and-third-guess hie, but instead he spat some shit out of his mouth and ran toward his fate