Page:The traitor; a story of the fall of the invisible empire (IA traitorstoryoffa00dixo).pdf/310

 thought that his turn might come next, and feared to put his head out the door.

When ten minutes later the soldiers who had passed suddenly appeared at every exit of his house and loudly knocked for entrance, he dropped into a chair shivering with abject terror.

When arrested he turned his heavy white face toward the sergeant piteously.

"I beg of you, officer, allow me to stay here under guard. I am desperately wounded, by an accident."

"You'll have to go to jail," the trooper snapped.

"But, my dear man, I can't. I can't walk," he gasped with laboured breath. "Just let me stay here under arrest until I can arrange with the authorities to give bail."

"Ye'll have ter fix that at headquarters—come on," he answered gruffly, seizing Steve and lifting him to his feet.

The heavy form collapsed and he sank in a heap on the floor.

The sergeant looked at him a moment with contempt, turned to his men and said:

"Keep him under guard till I report."

The moment he had gone, Steve revived and crawled in bed, his teeth chattering with a nervous chill. The soldiers sat down and laughed in his face, and cracked jokes about the bravery of men