begun to fall, till the baby, whom Patience had laid on the grass,
set up a shriek.

Then she snatched him up, and burst into a bitter cry herself--
wailing "father was dead, and he would die," in broken words.
Steadfast then laid a hand on her, and said "He won't die, Patience,
I see Croppie there, I'll get some milk. Take him."

There were only smoking walls, but the fire was burning down under
the rain, and had not touched the stable, the wind being the other
way. "Take him there," the boy said.

"But father--we can't leave him."

Without more words Jephthah and Steadfast took the still form between
them and bore it into the stable, the baby screaming with hunger all
the time, so that Jephthah hotly said--

"Stop that! I can't bear it."

Steadfast then said he would milk the cow if Jeph would run to the
next cottage and get help. People would come when they knew the
soldiers were gone.

There was nothing but Steadfast's leathern cap to hold the milk, and
he felt as if his fingers had no strength to draw it; but when he had
brought his sister enough to quiet little Ben, she recollected Rusha,
and besought him to find her. She could hardly sit still and feed the
little one while she heard his voice shouting in vain for the child,
and all the time she was starting with the fancy that she saw her