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Beardsley shouted to knoho it was, but no answer cae of the loft, to see his red face glaring up at her The knock sounded for a third tiue was too thick with drink to speak coherently; he only growled in his throat and held up a finger in warning to her, then turned and staggered toward the door He wrenched it open, looked out--and screamed

"I have never heard thuch a thound," she said, very softly "Never"

Beardsley turned and ran, tripping over a stool and sprawling full-length, scrabbling to his feet, stu rungs and clawing for purchase, crying out and shouting

"He kept thouting to me to help him, help him" Her voice held an odd note; perhaps only astonishment that such anote that I thought betrayed a deep and secret pleasure in the memory

Beardsley had reached the top of the ladder, but could not take the final step into the loft Instead, his face had gone suddenly from red to white, his eyes rolled back, and then he fell senseless onto his face on the boards, his legs dangling absurdly froet him down; it wath all I could do to pull hihed "And the rethtyou know"

"Not quite" Ja nantly, shaken awake

"How the hell long have you been there?" I deh" He moved to my side and knelt beside me, a hand on my arm "And as it at the door, then?" he asked Mrs Beardsley His voice held no ht on ht shudder went over ," she said simply "There wath no one there at all, that I could thee But--you can thee the rowan tree fro"

There was a marked period of silence at this Finally, Jaot to his feet

"Aye Well I’ve found a spot where we can shelter for the night Help round, spiked with rocky outcrops and s between the trees so uncertain in the dark that I fell twice, catchinght; by night, it was nearly impossible Fortunately, it was no more than a short distance to the spot Jaash in the side of a crurapevine and thatched with rasses At one time, there had been a streaood-sized chunk of earth fro had diverted the floater soh, and the rounded stones of what had been the streambed were scattered and half-sunk in mossy soil; one rolled underit painfully on another of the beastly stones

"All right, Sassenach?" Ja toward me He stood on the hillside just above ainst the sky, he looked grotesque and rather frightening; a tall, horned figure with hunched and monstrous shoulders

"Fine," I said, rather breathless "Just here, is it?"

"Aye Help mewill ye?" He sounded a lot more breathless than I did He sank carefully to his knees, and I hurried to help hi, one hand on the ground to brace himself

"I hope it won’t be too hard to find the trail in thehi wetly in his chest with each breath I wanted him in a place with fire and food, as fast as possible

He shook his head, and coughed, clearing his throat

"I ken where it is," he said, and coughed again "It’s only--" The coughing shook hiainst it When he stopped, I put a hand gently on his back, and could feel a fine, constant tre of th

"I canna go any further, Claire," he said softly, as though ashamed of the admission "I’m done"

"Lie down," I said, just as softly "I’ll see to things"

There was a certain amount of bustle and confusion, but within a half hour or so, everyone was oing

I knelt to checkstuck out in front Hiraathered behind hierent "Meh!" and threatenedback

Ja with the spasm He was curled at one side of the depression in the bank, head pillowed on his folded coat

"And as for you," I said, eyeing hirease Open your cloak, lift your shirt, and do it now"

He narrowed his eyes at lance in Mrs Beardsley’s direction I hid a save Mrs Beardsley the s and sent her off to fetch water and ourd of htly, now that I had a good look at him He was pale and white-lipped, red-riue He looked very sick, and sounded worse, the breath wheezing in his chest with each respiration

"Well, I suppose if Hiram wouldn’t die in front of his nannies, you won’t die in front ofout a thu in the least degree," he said, rather crossly "I’m only a wee bit tired I shall be entirely myself in the morn--oh, Christ, I hate this!"

His chest was quite warht he wasn’t fevered; it was hard to tell, h-pitched "eee" noise, and tried to squirm away I seized him firmly by the neck, put a knee in his belly, and proceeded to have ave up struggling and sub an occasional soats found it all very entertaining

In a few round, the skin of his chest and throat red fro aroma of peppermint and camphor in the air I patted a thick flannel into place on his chest, pulled down his shirt, drew the folds of his cloak around hily under his chin