Mark nodded and on they went. In the distance, a horse and rider passed.
"OOOOOOI!!!" Mark shouted and he waved. The rider stopped, turned and rode in their direction.
"'ave ye seen two fishing lasses?" Mark asked.
The rider, a farmer, judging by his clothes and the strong, sturdy horse he was riding, looked at the two men surprised. "Why! I was on my way to Goathland to telephone to Whitby!" he exclaimed.

Elijah gasped in shock and looked at the man full of hope. "Yo-you were? So you found them?" He tried to remain calm but now it was impossible. "Are they alright? Where are they?"

"Aye, they're at my place. Me sister's looking after them now. Doctor's already seen them. They were frozen solid. But if they don't catch pneumonia from their adventure, they should be alright, as should the bairn t' older girl is carrying."
Mark's face brightened and he looked at Elijah. "Well, I wasn't gonna say it, ser, but I thought we'd find two dead girls, if we found them at all. God bless 'em."

Elijah nodded to Mark, tears in his eyes. "I can't thank you both enough. Please.. take me to them. I need to see them."

Mark nodded. "I'll head back and tell t' others when they return."
"It's Appleton stead between Danby and Commondale." The farmer told Mark. He turned to Elijah and held out his hand. "Can you climb on t' back?"

Elijah nodded and shook Mark's hand. "thank you again. So much. I wouldn't have found them without you." He smiled and then took the other man's hand and got on the horse behind him. "Thank you, sir."

Mark assured him he was glad to help and very relieved and then he started back. The farmer, meanwhile, turned the horse, clicked his tongue, and then the horse started moving. The man was about Elijah's age, but his skin was coarse and red from working outside in the rough moor winds. He was a little shorter than Elijah, but had a stronger built.
"I'm Tobias Appleton, by the way. Are you a constable from Whitby?"

Elijah looked around as they rode on. "Yes.. I'm Elijah Crane. You can call me Elijah. I'm so happy we ran into you Tobias. You saved those girls, and I can never repay that."

"Well, I just did what I had to do. I'll tell you what. 'T was shortly before dawn when I hear the dogs barking outside, and a scream and I rush out, and what do I see? A young girl, in nowt but her undergarments, soaked, cryin, and the dog barkin' at her. So I send the dog away, and I tell the girl to come in, but she's cryin' hysterically, sayin' her sister's freezin' to death. Turns out they was out on t' moors all night, in the dark and the rain, and her sister she's losin' consciousness. The little girl took what clothes she could spare to wrap her up and goes out into the dark to find help. Whether it was bravery or foolishness to try and find her way in t' pitchblack night, I don't know. If she had gone in any other direction, she wouldn't have found owt. It was sheer luck she found the farm. Or maybe it was providence... Anyway, I wrap her in a cloak and fetch a lamp and saddle the horse. Thank God she could roughly describe the direction she had come from and the place where her sister was and I knew it. When we found her, the poor girl was barely responding to owt. So I put them both on t' horse and brought them home. Put them by t' fire and get t' doctor. These girls have angels watching over them, I'm telling ye..."

Elijah sighed shutting his eyes. "It was a miracle. Those poor girls. Thank you sir. Thank you so much. I'm just.. I can't believe they made their way out here and found help. I am just.. speechless." He hoped they didn't get sick and he had to see them. Originally, he'd planned to lecture them for running away but now he didn't know what to say.