She made every movement swiftly, as if she had not an instant to spare.

Who could tell?
He might return even before dark.

He had been hard to baffle, and she did not feel at all secure.

It was her one chance of safety to get away speedily, whither it mattered little, only so she was away and hidden.
Her first act inside the cottage was to get the belt from the cupboard and buckle it around her waist.

She examined and loaded the pistols.