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He did not look at her, but swung his gun on Pelly and the special constable, and they backed through the door into the cell Carter had not irl, and the little black gun was leveled at his breast Pelly and the wounded e smile His eyes met Kent's, and there was revealed for an instant a silent flash of colad! It rip his hand, but in place of that he backed him into the cell, turned the key in the lock, and with the key in his hand faced Marette Radisson Her eyes were shining gloriously He had never seen such splendid, fighting eyes, nor the birdlike swiftness hich she turned and ran down the hall, calling hi Kedsty's office She reached the outer door and opened it It was pitch-dark outside, and a deluge of rain beat into their faces He observed that she did not replace the hood of her raincoat when she darted out As he closed the door, her hand groped to his arhtly

He did not ask questions as they faced the black chaos of rain A rending streak of lightning revealed her for an instant, her bare head bowed to the wind Then came a crash of thunder that shook the earth under their feet, and her fingers closed htly about his hand And in that crash he heard her voice, half laughing, half broken, saying, "I'reat, free, joyous laugh He wanted to stop in that instant, sweep her up into his arms, and carry her He wanted to shout like an insane man in hisin facing three of the bravest men in the service and had shot one of the, but she increased her speed until she was al Jim in the direction of the river, but toward the forest beyond Kedsty's bungalow Not for an instant did she falter in that drenched and i ihtened perceptibly when the thunder crashed They gave Kent the conviction that there was no doubt in her e of the lightning, for each tilimpse of her bare, wet head bowed to the stor over the sticky earth under her feet