At last it dawned upon her that Bill was preparing to desert.

Hope lay with him, then.

If he could only be induced to give her an equal chance to escape! Mother and son became maudlin in their--not cups, but jug; but Davy had the sense to imbibe more cautiously, a fact which seemed to annoy the nervous Bill.
"I must have air--fresh air," suddenly moaned Rosalie from her corner, the strain proving too great for her nerves.

Bill strode over and looked down upon the trembling form for a full minute.

"Take me outside for just a minute--just a minute, please.