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Matthew.
    Matthew kept still, skewered like an insect to a cork tray.
    “It’s all right,” the Master told him. “Come out. I want to talk to you.”
    Matthew stepped out from behind the curtain. He still couldn’t face the Master with his head up.
    The Master observed his shameful behavior. “You don’t have to worry. I know you came here to watch us, and it’s all right. It shows that you’re concerned about us, and I appreciate that.”
    “I’m sorry,” Matthew mumbled.
    “Never mind about that,” the Master replied. “Now tell me what happened. Tell me what happened to Polly today.”
    Matthew studied the toe of his shoe. “Nothing happened to her. She’s been here all day.”
    “Don’t waste your breath on that,” the Master snapped. “Something happened. It’s written all over her face, and she’s lost all hope for tomorrow. What was it? I told you to follow her, so you must have seen it.”
    “She went out for a walk,” Matthew muttered.
    “Where did she go?” the Master asked.
    “Just around town,” Matthew replied. “She went to the haberdasher’s, and to the general store, and to the dressmaker’s shop.”
    “Okay,” the Master prompted. “Then what happened? Did she meet Bartlett somewhere?”
    The weight of guilt and responsibility fell from Matthew’s shoulders. The Master had trapped him, and he dropped all pretense of keeping Polly’s secret. He nodded.
    “Where?” the Master demanded.
    “In the church yard,” Matthew told him.
    “What was she doing there?” the Master asked.
    “I don’t know,” Matthew replied. “Maybe she was on her way to the church and he grabbed her and dragged her into the church yard. I think she must have just been walking by on the street.”
    “So what happened?” the Master asked. “What did he do?”
    “He grabbed her,” Matthew told him. “When I got there, he was holding her around the waist and shouting into her face. She was trying to get away from him, but he only held her tighter and laughed at her.”
    The Master gritted his teeth. “What did he say to her?”
    “Mostly the same things he said to her at the train station yesterday,” Matthew replied. “He threatened to kill her, and said that she better not tell you he’d been with her. That sort of thing. Then he said he would come to the church tomorrow and get you and her.”
    “He said all that yesterday,” the Master snapped. “There must be more. She looks like she’s seen a ghost.”
    “When she wouldn’t give in,” Matthew told him, “Bartlett pulled a gun on her. He was going to shoot her.”
    “So what happened?” the Master asked.
    “I…showed myself to him.” Matthew started babbling. “I didn’t know what else to do. I know you told me to come and get you, but he was going to shoot her on the spot. She would be dead by the time I got you. There was nothing I could do. I just stepped out where he could see me and I watched him. That’s all I did.”
    The Master stared at the young boy in front of him. Matthew squirmed under his gaze and screwed his toe into the floor. Then, to his great surprise, the Master laid his hand on his shoulder.
    Matthew’s eyes flew up to the Master’s face and he found the Master smiling at him.
    “You’re a remarkable man, Matthew Burke,” the Master declared. “I’m proud of you. You’ve done a great thing today, perhaps the greatest thing a man can do in his life. You’ve won my undying admiration and respect. Whatever else you become in your life, I will never forget this moment. I look forward to knowing you and calling you a friend for the rest of my life.”
    Matthew couldn’t believe his ears. “I’m sorry I didn’t do what you told me to do. I only wanted to protect Polly.”
    The Master patted his shoulder. “You did exactly what I told you to do. You protected Polly better than I could have done myself. You protected her better than anyone else could have. Now come on. Let’s get out of