Then for a while he would hold her with his eyes, so that her feet seemed rooted to the ground, till at length it was as though he cut a rope by some action of his will and set her free, and, choked with wrath and blind with tears, Benita would turn and run from him as from a wild beast.

But if her days were evil, oh! what were her nights?  She lived in constant terror lest he should again drug her food or drink, and, while she slept, throw his magic spell upon her.  To protect herself from the first danger she would swallow nothing that had been near him.  Now also she slept in the hut with her father, who lay near its door, a loaded rifle at his side, for he had told Jacob outright that if he caught him at his practices he would shoot him, a threat at which the younger man laughed aloud, for he had no fear of Mr. Clifford.

Throughout the long hours of darkness they kept watch alternately, one of them lying down to rest while the other peered and listened.  Nor did Benita always listen in vain, for twice at least she heard stealthy footsteps creeping about the hut, and felt that soft and dreadful influence flowing in upon her.  Then she would wake her father, whispering, “He is there, I can feel that he is there.”  But by the time that the old man had painfully dragged himself to his feet—­for now he was becoming very feeble and acute rheumatism or some such illness had got hold of him—­and crept from the hut, there was no one to be seen.  Only through the darkness he would hear the sound of a retreating step, and of low, mocking laughter.

Thus those miserable days went by, and the third morning came, that dreaded Wednesday.  Before it was dawn Benita and her father, neither of whom had closed their eyes that night, talked over their strait long and earnestly, and they knew that its crisis was approaching.

“I think that I had better try to kill him, Benita,” he said.  “I am growing dreadfully weak, and if I put it off I may find no strength, and you will be at his mercy.  I can easily shoot him when his back is turned, and though I hate the thought of such a deed, surely I shall be forgiven.  Or if not, I cannot help it.  I must think of my duty to you, not of myself.”

“No, no,” she answered.  “I will not have it.  It would be murder, although he has threatened you.  After all, father, I believe that the man is half mad, and not responsible.  We must take our chance and trust to God to save us.  If He does not,” she added, “at the worst I can always save myself,” and she touched the pistol which now she wore day and night.

“So be it,” said Mr. Clifford, with a groan.  “Let us pray for deliverance from this hell and keep our hands clean of blood.”

XX

JACOB MEYER SEES A SPIRIT

For a while they were silent, then Benita said: 

“Father, is it not possible that we might escape, after all?  Perhaps that stair on the rampart is not so completely blocked that we could not climb over it.”