"Is he armed?" asked Melville.

"I don't know; I don't think so."

"Does he know that you have gone for help?"

"No; he did not see me. I came from the fields, and saw him through
the window. Mrs. Cole thinks I am in the field and there is no help
near."

Physical courage and physical strength do not always go together,
and a weak man often excels a strong man in bravery. George Melville
was thoroughly roused. For injustice or brutality he had a hearty
contempt, and he was not one to stand by and see a ruffian triumph.

"Come, Herbert," he said; "let us go to the help of this poor
woman."

"With all my heart," answered Herbert, his eyes flashing.

Before describing the appearance of Herbert and George Melville upon
the scene, I will go back a few minutes and relate what happened at
the farmhouse.

Mrs. Cole was engaged in ironing when she heard a knock at the door.

Answering the summons, she found herself confronted by an
ill-looking fellow whose dusty and travel-soiled garments revealed
the character of the wearer.