"Far from it," I answered gladly. "He is merely stunned, and will revive presently, but with a sad headache. I would not have hit him, but he is a stronger man than I."
"Oh, you were justified. It was done to protect me. I knew you must be somewhere near."
"Yes--no; not exactly that. I was in the summer house; I did not mean you should see me, but I wished to be sure of your escape; I--I--of course I was anxious."
"I can easily understand that, for you have assumed much risk--even ventured the life of the devoted Peter."
"Oh, no; you rate my devotion too high by far. Peter's life has not been endangered."
"But the guard told me he was the direct cause of all that firing beyond the ravine."
The starlight revealed the swift merriment in her eyes.
"I--I--well, I believe he was originally responsible, but--well, you see I know Peter, Major Lawrence, and really there is no danger that he will get hurt. I cannot imagine what they could have found to fire at so long, but it is certainly not Peter. 'Twould be my guess that he is even now in the house, calmly eating supper, not even wasting a smile on the racket without. You may have observed he is not of an emotional disposition."
"My attention has, indeed, been called to that fact. Yet that does not explain how he could be in two places at one and the same time."
"Nothing that Peter pleases to do is explainable. His ways are not our ways, nor his thoughts our thoughts. He is simply Peter. He started all this, but was never in front of those guns long. They must be shooting at shadows. But, Major, we forget where we are, the perils about us, and the necessity of your immediate escape. We must not stand talking here."
She was close beside me, looking up into my face, her eyes filled with anxiety. Grant lay motionless upon the grass, a mere darker shadow. To linger there, however strong the temptation, was to expose her to even greater peril. Already Seldon's men must be returning toward the house. There were words upon my lips I longed to speak, questions I desired to ask, but I held these sternly back, restrained by the pleading in those eyes.
"No, for your sake I must go at once," I answered soberly. "Seldon must not find you here, nor must Grant suspect your connection with my assault upon him. I doubt if he recognized my face in this darkness, although he will surely realize the truth when he learns of my escape. But how can I leave you here unprotected? When this man returns to consciousness--and that can mean but a few moments--he will be furious."