第8章

"Youarewrong，Itellyou，athousandtimeswrong。Thegirlissimplyupsetbythisearthquake。It\'sagreatpityherfatherdidn\'tcomeinsteadoftelegraphing。AndbyJove，ratherthanhearanymoreofthis，I\'llsendforhimmyself，"saidthemajor，inanenergeticbutsuppressedvoice。

"Andthegirlwon\'tthankyou，andyou\'llbeafoolforyourpains，"returnedMrs。Randolph，withdrypersistency。

"Butaccordingtoyourownideasofpropriety，Malloryoughttobethefirstonetobeconsulted——andbyme，too。"

"Notinthiscase。Ofcourse，beforeanyactualengagementison，youcanspeakofEmile\'sattentions。"

"ButsupposeMalloryhasotherviews。Supposehedeclinesthehonor。Themanisnofool。"

"Thankyou。Butforthatveryreasonhemust。Listentome，major；ifhedoesn\'tcaretopleasehisdaughterforherownsake，hewillhavetodosoforthesakeofdecency。Yes，Itellyou，shehasthoroughlycompromisedherself——quiteenough，ifitiseverknown，tospoilanyotherengagementherfathermaymake。Why，askAdele!ThedayoftheearthquakesheABSOLUTELYhadtheaudacitytosendhimoutoftheroomupstairsintoyourstudyforherfan，andthenfollowhimuptherealone。Theservantsknewit。Iknewit，forIwasinherroomatthetimewithFatherAntonio。Theearthquakemadeitplaintoeverybody。Declineit!No。Mr。

Mallorywillthinktwiceaboutitbeforehedoesthat。What\'sthat?Who\'sthere?"

Therewasasuddenrustleinthebusheslikethepassageofsomefrightenedanimal——andthenallwasstillagain。

CHAPTERV

Thesun，anhourhigh，butonlyjusttoppingthegreenishcrestsofthewheat，wasstreaminglikethemorningbreezethroughtheopenlengthofTomBent\'sworkshed。Anexaggeratedandprolongedshadowoftheyounginventorhimselfatworkbesidehisbenchwasstretchingitselffarintothebroken-downranksofstalkstowardstheinvisibleroad，andfallingattheveryfeetofRoseMalloryassheemergedfromthem。

Shewasverypale，veryquiet，andverydetermined。Thetravelingmantlethrownoverhershoulderswasdusty，theribbonsthattiedherhatunderherroundchinhadbecomeunloosed。Sheadvanced，walkingdownthelineofshadowdirectlytowardshim。

"IamafraidIwillhavetotroubleyouoncemore，"shesaidwithafaintsmile，whichdidnot，however，reachherperplexedeyes。

"CouldyougivemeanykindofaconveyancethatwouldtakemetoSanJoseatonce?"

Theyoungmanhadstartedattherustlingofherdressintheshavings，andturnedeagerly。Thefaintestindicationofalossofinterestwasvisibleforaninstantinhisface，butitquicklypassedintoasmileofrecognition。Yetshefeltthathehadneithernoticedanychangeinherappearance，norexperiencedanywonderatseeingherthereatthathour。

"Ididnottakeabuggyfromthehouse，"shewentonquickly，"forIleftearly，anddidnotwanttodisturbthem。Infact，theydon\'tknowthatIamgone。IwasworriedatnothearingnewsfrommyfatherinSanFranciscosincetheearthquake，andIthoughtI

wouldrundowntoSanJosetoinquirewithoutputtingthemtoanytrouble。Anythingwilldothatyouhaveready，ifIcantakeitatonce。"

Stillwithoutexhibitingtheleastsurprise，Bentnoddedaffirmatively，putdownhistools，beggedhertowaitamoment，andranoffinthedirectionofthecabin。Ashedisappearedbehindthewheat，shelapsedquitesuddenlyagainsttheworkbench，butrecoveredherselfamomentlater，leaningwithherbackagainstit，herhandsgraspingitoneitherside，andherknitbrowsanddeterminedlittlefaceturnedtowardstheroad。Thenshestooderectagain，shookthedustoutofherskirts，liftedherveil，wipedhercheeksandbrowwiththecornerofasmallhandkerchief，andbeganwalkingupanddownthelengthoftheshedasBentreappeared。

Hewasaccompaniedbythemanwhohadfirstledherthroughthewheat。Hegazeduponherwithapparentlyallthecuriosityandconcernthattheotherhadlacked。

"YouwanttogettoSanJoseasquickasyoucan?"hesaidinterrogatively。

"Yes，"shesaidquickly，"ifyoucanhelpme。"

"Youwalkedallthewayfromthemajor\'shere?"hecontinued，withouttakinghiseyesfromherface。

"Yes，"sheansweredwithanaffectationofcarelessnessshehadnotshowntoBent。"ButIstartedveryearly，itwascoolandpleasant，anddidn\'tseemfar。"

"I\'llputyoudowninSanJoseinsidethehour。Youshallhavemyhorseandtrottingsulky，andI\'lldriveyoumyself。Willthatdo?"

Shelookedathimwonderingly。Shehadnotforgottenhispreviousrestraintandgravity，butnowhisfaceseemedtohaverelaxedwithsomehumoroussatisfaction。Shefeltherselfcoloringslightly，butwhetherwithshameorreliefshecouldnottell。

"Ishallbesomuchobligedtoyou，"sherepliedhesitatingly，"andsowillmyfather，Iknow。"

"Ireckon，"saidthemanwiththesamelookofamusedconjecture；

then，withaquick，assuringnod，heturnedaway，anddivedintothewheatagain。

"You\'reallrightnow，MissMallory，"saidBent，complacently。

"Dawsonwillfixit。He\'sgotagoodhorse，andhe\'sagooddriver，too。"Hepaused，andthenaddedpleasantly，"Isupposethey\'reallwellupatthehouse?"

Itwassoevidentthathisremarkcarriednopersonalmeaningtoherselfthatshewasobligedtoanswercarelessly，"Oh，yes。"

"IsupposeyouseeagooddealofMissRandolph——MissAdele，I

thinkyoucallher?"heremarkedtentatively，andwithacertainboyishenthusiasm，whichshehadneverconceivedpossibletohisnature。

"Yes，"sherepliedalittledryly，"sheistheonlyyoungladythere。"Shestopped，rememberingAdele\'snaivedescriptionofthemanbeforeher，andsaidabruptly，"Youknowher，then?"

"Alittle，"repliedtheyoungman，modestly。"IseeherprettyoftenwhenIampassingtheupperendoftheranch。She\'sverywellbroughtup，andhermannersareveryrefined——don\'tyouthinkso?——andyetshe\'sjustassimpleandnaturalasacountrygirl。

There\'sagreatdealineducationafterall，isn\'tthere?"hewentonconfidentially，"andalthough"——heloweredhisvoiceandlookedcautiouslyaroundhim——"Ibelievethatsomeofusheredon\'tfancyhermothermuch，there\'snodoubtthatMrs。Randolphknowshowtobringupherchildren。Somepeoplethinkthatkindofeducationisallartificial，anddon\'tbelieveinit，butIdo!"

Withtheconsciousnessthatshewasrunningawayfromthesepeopleandtheshamefuldisclosureshehadheardlastnight——withtherecollectionofAdele\'sscandalousinterpretationofhermostinnocentactionsandhersuddenandcompleterevulsionagainstallthatshehadpreviouslyadmiredinthathousehold，tohearthismanwhohadseemedtoheralivingprotestagainsttheirideasandprinciples，nowexpressingthemandholdingthemupforemulation，almosttookherbreathaway。

"IsupposethatmeansyouintendtofixMajorRandolph\'swellforhim?"shesaiddryly。

"Yes，"hereturnedwithoutnoticinghermanner；"andIthinkIcanfindthatwateragain。I\'vebeenstudyingitupallnight，anddoyouknowwhatI\'mgoingtodo?Iamgoingtomaketheearthquakethatlostithelpmetofinditagain。"Hepaused，andlookedatherwithasmileandareturnofhisformerenthusiasm。"Doyourememberthecrackintheadobefieldthatstoppedyouyesterday?"

"Yes，"saidthegirl，withaslightshiver。

"Itoldyouthenthatthesamecrackwasasplitintherockoutcropfurtheruptheplain，andwasdeeper。Iamsatisfiednow，fromwhatIhaveseen，thatitisreallyaruptureofthewholestrataallthewaydown。That\'stheoneweakpointthattheimprisonedwaterissuretofind，andthat\'swheretheborerwilltapit——inthenewwellthattheearthquakeitselfhassunk。"

Itseemedtohernowthatsheunderstoodhisexplanationperfectly，andshewonderedthemorethathehadbeensomistakeninhisestimateofAdele。SheturnedawayalittleimpatientlyandlookedanxiouslytowardsthepointwhereDawsonhaddisappeared。Bentfollowedhereyes。

"He\'llbehereinamoment，MissMallory。Hehastodriveslowlythroughthegrain，butIhearthewheels。"Hestopped，andhisvoicetookupitspreviousnoteofboyishhesitation。"Bytheway——

I\'ll——I\'llbegoinguptotheRanchothisafternoontoseethemajor。HaveyouanymessageforMrs。Randolph——orfor——forMissAdele?"

"No"——saidRose，hesitatingly，"and——and"——

"Isee，"interruptedBent，carelessly。"Youdon\'twantanythingsaidaboutyourcominghere。Iwon\'t。"

Itstruckherthatheseemedtohavenoulteriormeaninginthesuggestion。Butbeforeshecouldmakeanyreply，Dawsonreappeared，drivingahandsomemareharnessedtoalight，spider-

likevehicle。Hehadalsoassumed，evidentlyingreathaste，ablackfrockcoatbuttonedoverhiswaistcoatlessandcravatlessshirt，andatallblackhatthatalreadyseemedtobecrackinginthesunlight。Hedroveup，atonceassistedhertothenarrowperchbesidehim，andwithanodtoBentdroveoff。Hisbreathlessexpeditionrelievedtheleave-takingoftheseyoungpeopleofanyceremony。

"Isuppose，"saidMr。Dawson，givingahalfglanceoverhisshoulderastheystruckintothedustyhighway，——"Isupposeyoudon\'tcaretoseeanybodybeforeyougettoSanJose?"

"No-o-o，"saidRose，timidly。

"AndIreckonyouwouldn\'tmindmyracin\'abitifanybodykemup?"

"No。"

"Themare\'ssorto\'fastidiousabouttakin\'anybody\'sdust。"

"Isshe?"saidRose，withafaintsmile。

"Awful，"respondedhercompanion；"andthequeerestthingofallis，shecan\'tbeartohaveanyonebehindher，either。"

Heleanedforwardwithhisexpressionofhumorousenjoymentofsomelatentjokeanddidsomethingwiththereins——Rosenevercouldclearlyunderstandwhat，thoughitseemedtoherthathesimplyliftedthemwithostentatiouslightness；butthemaresuddenlyseemedtoLENGTHENherselfandloseherheight，andthestalksofwheatoneithersideofthedustytrackbegantomeltintoeachother，andthenslippedlikeaflashintoonelong，continuous，shimmeringgreenhedge。Soperfectwasthemare\'sactionthatthegirlwasscarcelyconsciousofanyincreasedeffort；soharmoniousthewholemovementthatthelightskeletonwagonseemedonlyaprolongedprocessofthatlong，slimbodyandfree，collarlessneck，bothstraightasthethinshaftsoneachsideandstraighterthanthedelicateribbon-liketraceswhich，inwhatseemedamereaffectationofconsciouspower，hungattimesalmostlimpbetweenthewhiffle-treeandthenarrowbreastbandwhichwasallthatconfinedtheanimal\'spowerfulfore-quarters。SosuperbwasthereachofitslongeasystridethatRosecouldscarcelyseeanyundulationsinthebrownshiningbackonwhichshecouldhaveplacedherfoot，norfeltthesoftbeatofthedelicatehoofsthattookthedustsofirmlyandyetsolightly。

TherapidityofmotionwhichkeptthembothwithheadsbentforwardandseemedtoforcebackanyutterancethatrosetotheirlipssparedRosetheobligationofconversation，andhercompanionwasequallyreticent。ButitwasevidenttoherthathehalfsuspectedshewasrunningawayfromtheRandolphs，andthatshewishedtoavoidtheembarrassmentofbeingovertakeneveninpersuasivepursuit。Itwasnotpossiblethatheknewthecauseofherflight，andyetshecouldnotaccountforhisevidentdesiretobefriendher，nor，aboveall，forhisapparentlyhumorousenjoymentofthesituation。Hadhetakenitgravely，shemighthavebeentemptedtopartlyconfideinhimandaskhisadvice。Wasshedoingright，afterall?OughtshenottohavestayedlongenoughtospeakhermindtoMrs。Randolphanddemandtobesenthome?No!Shehadnotonlyshrunkfromrepeatingtheinfamousslandershehadoverheard，butshehadaterriblefearthatifshehaddoneso，Mrs。Randolphwascapableofdenyingit，orevenchargingherofbeingstillundertheinfluenceoftheearthquakeshockandofwalkinginhersleep。No!Shecouldnottrusther——shecouldtrustnoonethere。

Hadnoteventhemajorlistenedtothoseinfamouslies?Hadshenotseenthathewashelplessinthehandsofthiscabalinhisownhousehold?——acabalthatsheherselfhadthoughtlesslyjoinedagainsthim。

Theyhadreachedthefirstslightascent。Hercompaniondrewouthiswatch，lookedatitwithsatisfaction，andchangedthepositionofhishandsonthereins。Withoutbeingabletodetectthedifference，shefelttheywereslackeningspeed。Sheturnedinquiringlytowardshim；henoddedhishead，withahalfsmileandagesturetohertolookahead。ThespiresofSanJosewerealreadyfaintlyupliftingfromthedistantfringeofoaks。

Sosoon!Infifteenminutesshewouldbethere——andTHEN!Sherememberedsuddenlyshehadnotyetdeterminedwhattodo。ShouldshegoonatoncetoSanFrancisco，ortelegraphtoherfatherandawaithimatSanJose?Ineithercaseanewfearoftheprecipitancyofheractionandtheinadequacyofherreasonshadsprungupinhermind。Wouldherfatherunderstandher?Wouldheunderratethecauseandbemortifiedattheinsultshehadgiventhefamilyofhisoldfriend，or，moredreadfulstill，wouldheexaggerateherwrongsandseekapersonalquarrelwiththemajor。

Hewasamanofquicktemper，andhadtheWesternideasofredress。

Perhapsevennowshewasprecipitatingaduelbetweenthem。Hercheeksgrewwanagain，herbreathcamequickly，tearsgatheredinhereyes。Oh，shewasadreadfulgirl，sheknewit；shewasanutterlymiserableone，andsheknewthattoo!

Thereinsweretightened。Thepacelessenedandatlastfelltoawalk。Consciousofhertelltaleeyesandtroubledface，shedarednotturntohercompaniontoaskhimwhy，butglancedacrossthefields。

"WhenyoufirstcameIdidn\'tgettoknowyourname，MissMallory，butIreckonIknowyourfather。"

Herfather!Whatmadehimsaythat?Shewantedtospeak，butshefeltshecouldnot。Inanothermoment，ifhewenton，shemustdoSOMETHING——shewouldcry!

"Ireckonyou\'llbewantingtogotothehotelfirst，anyway?"

There!——sheknewit!HeWOULDkeepon!Andnowshehadburstintotears。

Themarewasstillwalkingslowly；themanwaslazilybendingforwardovertheshaftsasifnothinghadoccurred。Thensuddenly，illogically，andwithoutamoment\'swarning，thepridethathadsustainedhercrumbledandbecameasthedustoftheroad。

Sheburstoutandtoldhim——thisstranger!——thismanshehaddisliked!——allandEVERYTHING。Howshehadfelt，howshehadbeendeceived，andwhatshehadoverheard!

"Ithoughtasmuch，"saidhercompanion，quietly，"andthat\'swhyI

sentforyourfather。"

"Yousentformyfather!——when?——where?"echoedRose，inastonishment。

"Yesterday。Hewastocometo-day，andifwedon\'tfindhimatthehotelitwillbebecausehehasalreadystartedtocomeherebytheupperandlongerroad。ButyouleaveittoME，anddon\'tyousayanythingtohimofthisnow。Ifhe\'satthehotel，I\'llsayI

droveyoudowntheretoshowoffthemare。Sabe?Ifheisn\'t，I\'llleaveyouthereandcomebackheretofindhim。I\'vegotsomethingtotellhimthatwillsetYOUallright。"Hesmiledgrimly，liftedthereins，themarestartedforwardagain，andthevehicleanditsoccupantsdisappearedinavanishingdustcloud。

CHAPTERVI

ItwasnearlynoonwhenMr。Dawsonfinishedrubbingdownhissweatingmareinthelittlestableshedamongthewheat。HehadleftRoseatthehotel，fortheyfoundMr。Malloryhadpreviouslystartedbyacircuitousrouteforthewheatranch。Hehadresumednotonlyhisworkingclothesbuthisworkingexpression。HewasnowsuperintendingtheunloadingofawainofstoresandimplementswhenthelightcarryalloftheRandolphsrolledintothefield。ItcontainedonlyMrs。Randolphandthedriver。AslightlookofintelligencepassedbetweenthelatterandthenearestoneofDawson\'scompanions，succeeded，however，byadulllookofstupidvacancyonthefacesofalltheothers，includingDawson。Mrs。

Randolphnoticedit，andwasforewarned。ShereflectedthatnohumanbeingseverlookedNATURALLYasstupidasthatandwereabletowork。Shesmiledsarcastically，andthenbeganwithdrydistinctnessandnarrowinglips。

"MissMallory，ayoungladyvisitingus，wentoutforanearlywalkthismorningandhasnotreturned。Itispossibleshemayhavelostherwayamongyourwheat。Haveyouseenanythingofher?"

Dawsonraisedhiseyesfromhisworkandglancedslowlyaroundathiscompanions，asiftakingtheheavysenseoftheassembly。Oneortwoshooktheirheadsmechanically，andreturnedtotheirsuspendedlabor。Hesaid，coolly:——

"Nobodyhereseemsto。"

Shefeltthattheywerelying。Shewasonlyawomanagainstfivemen。Shewasonlyapettydomestictyrant；shemighthavebeenalargerone。Butshehadallthecourageofthatpossibility。

"MajorRandolphandmysonareaway，"shewenton，drawingherselferect。"ButIknowthatthemajorwillpayliberallyifthesemenwillsearchthefield，besidesmakingitallrightwithyour——

EMPLOYERS——forthelossoftime。"

Dawsonutteredasinglewordinalowvoicetothemannearesthim，whoapparentlycommunicatedittotheothers，forthefourmenstoppedunloading，andmovedawayoneaftertheother——eventhedriverjoiningintheexodus。Mrs。Randolphsmiledsarcastically；

itwasplainthatthesepeople，withalltheirboastedindependence，werequiteamenabletopecuniaryconsiderations。Nevertheless，asDawsonremainedlookingquietlyather，shesaid:——

"ThenIsupposethey\'veconcludedtogoandsee?"

"No；I\'vesentthemawaysothattheycouldn\'tHEAR。"

"Hearwhat?"

"WhatI\'vegottosaytoyou。"

Shelookedathimsuddenly。Thenshesaid，withadisdainfulglancearoundher:"IseeIamhelplesshere，and——thankstoyourtrickery——alone。Haveacare，sir；IwarnyouthatyouwillhavetoanswertoMajorRandolphforanyinsolence。"

"Ireckonyouwon\'ttellMajorRandolphwhatIhavetosaytoyou，"

hereturnedcoolly。

Herlipswerenearlyagrayishhue，butshesaidscornfully:"Andwhynot?Doyouknowwhoyouaretalkingto?"

Themancamelazilyforwardtothecarryall，carelesslybrushedasidetheslackreins，andrestinghiselbowsonthehorse\'sback，laidhischinonhishands，ashelookedupinthewoman\'sface。

"Yes；IknowwhoI\'mtalkingto，"hesaidcoolly。"Butasthemajordon\'t，Ireckonyouwon\'ttellhim。"

"Standawayfromthathorse!"shesaid，herwholefacetakingthegrayishcolorofherlips，butherblackeyesgrowingsmallerandbrighter。"Handmethosereins，andletmepass!Whatcanailleareyoutostopme?"

"Ithoughtso，"returnedtheman，withoutalteringhisposition；

"youdon\'tknowME。YouneversawMEbefore。Well，I\'mJimDawson，thenephewofL\'Hommadieu，YOUROLDMASTER!"

Shegrippedtheironrailoftheseatasiftoleapfromit，butcheckedherselfsuddenlyandleanedback，withasetsmileonhermouththatseemedstampedthere。Itwasremarkablethatwiththatsmilesheflungawayheroldaffectationofsuperciliousnessforanolderandruderaudacity，andthatnotonlytheexpression，butthetypeofherfaceappearedtohavechanged。

"Idon\'tsay，"continuedthemanquietly，"thathedidn\'tMARRYyoubeforehedied。ButyouknowaswellasIdothatthelawsofhisStatedidn\'trecognizethemarriageofamasterwithhisoctoroonslave!AndyouknowaswellasIdothatevenifhehadfreedyou，hecouldn\'tchangeyourblood。Why，ifI\'dbeenwillingtostayatAvoyellestobeanigger-driverlikehim，theplantationof\'deFontanges\'——whosenameyouhavetaken——wouldhavebeenlefttome。

IfYOUhadstayedthere，youmighthavebeenmypropertyinsteadofYOURowningasquaremanlikeRandolph。Youdidn\'tthinkofthatwhenyoucamehere，didyou?"hesaidcomposedly。

"Oh，monDieu!"shesaid，droppingrapidlyintoadifferentaccent，withherwhiteteethandfixedmirthlesssmile，"soitisaclaimforPROPERTY，eh?You\'rewantingmoney——you?Tresbien，youforgetweareinCalifornia，whereonedoesnotownaslave。Andyouhaveafinestorythere，mypoorfriend。Verypretty，butveryhardtoprove，m\'sieu。Andthesepeasantsareinit，eh，workingitonshareslikethefarm，eh?"

"Well，"saidDawson，slightlychanginghisposition，andpassinghishandoverthehorse\'sneckwithahalf-weariedcontempt，"oneofthesemenisfromPlaquemine，andtheotherfromCoupee。Theyknowallthel\'Hommadieus\'history。Andtheyknowastreakofthetarbrushwhentheyseeit。Theytookyourmeasurewhentheycameherelastyear，andsizedyouupfairly。SohadI，forthematterofthat，whenIFIRSTsawyou。Andwecomparednotes。Butthemajorisasquareman，forallheisyourhusband，andwereckonedhehadabigenoughcontractonhishandstotakecareofyouandl\'Hommadieu\'shalf-breeds，andso"——hetossedthereinscontemptuouslyaside——"wekeptthistoourselves。"

"Andnowyouwant——what——eh?"

"Wewantanendtothisfoolery，"hebrokeoutroughly，steppingbackfromthevehicle，andfacinghersuddenly，withhisfirstangrygesture。"Wewantanendtotheseairsandgrimaces，andallthisdandyniggerbusiness；wewantanendtothis\'cake-walking\'

throughthewheat，andfloutingofthehonestlaborofyourbetters。Wewantyouandyour\'deFontanges\'toclimbdown。Andwewantanendtothisroping-inofwhitefolkstosuityourlittlegame；wewantanendtoyourtryingtomixyourniggerbloodwithanyonehere，andweintendtostopit。Wedrawthelineatthemajor。"

Lashedasshehadbeenbythosewordsapparentlyoutofallsemblanceofherformersocialarrogance，alowerandmorestubbornresistanceseemedtohavesprungupinher，asshesatsideways，watchinghimwithhersetsmileandcontractingeyes。

"Ah，"shesaiddryly，"soSHEISHERE。Ithoughtso。Whichofyouisit，eh?It\'sagoodspec——Mallory\'sarichman。She\'snotparticular。"

Themanhadstoppedasiflistening，hisheadturnedtowardstheroad。Thenheturnedcarelessly，andfacingheragain，wavedhishandwithagestureoftireddismissal，andsaid，"Go!You\'llfindyourdriverovertherebythetool-shed。Hehasheardnothingyet——

butI\'vegivenyoufairwarning。Go!"

Hewalkedslowlybacktowardstheshed，asthewoman，snatchingupthereins，droveviolentlyoffinthedirectionwherethemenhaddisappeared。Butsheturnedaside，ignoringherwaitingdriverinherwildandrecklessabandonmentofallheroldconventionalattitudes，andlashingherhorseforwardwiththesamesetsmileonherface，thesameoddrelaxationoffigure，andthesamesquaringofherelbows。

Avoidingthemainroad，shepushedintoanarrowtrackthatintersectedanothernearerthesceneoftheaccidenttoRose\'sbuggythreeweeksbefore。Shehadnearlypasseditwhenshewashailedbyastrangevoice，andlookingup，perceivedahorsemanflounderinginthemazesofthewheattoonesideofthetrack。

Whatevermeanthoughtofherpastlifeshewasflyingfrom，whatevermeanpurposeshewasflyingto，shepulledupsuddenly，andassuddenlyresumedhererect，aggressivestiffness。Thestrangerwasamiddle-agedman；indressandappearanceadwellerofcities。Heliftedhishatasheperceivedtheoccupantofthewagontobealady。

"Ibegyourpardon，butIfearI\'velostmywayintryingtomakeashortcuttotheExcelsiorCompany\'sRanch。"

"Youareinitnow，"saidMrs。Randolph，quickly。

"Thankyou，butwherecanIfindthefarmhouse?"

"Thereisnone，"shereturned，withheroldsuperciliousness，"unlessyouchoosetogivethatnametotheshantiesandshedswherethelaborersandservantslive，neartheroad。"

Thestrangerlookedpuzzled。"I\'mlookingforaMr。Dawson，"hesaidreflectively，"butImayhavemadesomemistake。DoyouknowMajorRandolph\'shousehereabouts?"

"Ido。IamMrs。Randolph，"shesaidstiffly。

Thestranger\'sbrowcleared，andhesmiledpleasantly。"Thenthisisafortunatemeeting，"hesaid，raisinghishatagainashereinedinhishorsebesidethewagon，"forIamMr。Mallory，andI

waslookingforwardtothepleasureofpresentingmyselftoyouanhourortwolater。Thefactis，anoldacquaintance，Mr。Dawson，telegraphedmeyesterdaytomeethimhereonurgentbusiness，andI

feltobligedtogotherefirst。"

Mrs。Randolph\'seyessparkledwithasuddengratifiedintelligence，buthermannerseemedrathertoincreasethanabateitsgrimprecision。

"Ourmeetingthismorning，Mr。Mallory，isbothfortunateandunfortunate，forIregrettosaythatyourdaughter，whohasnotbeenquiteherselfsincetheearthquake，wasmissingearlythismorningandhasnotyetbeenfound，thoughwehavesearchedeverywhere。Understandme，"shesaid，asthestrangerstarted，"I

havenofearforherPERSONALsafety，IamonlyconcernedforanyINDISCRETIONthatshemaycommitinthepresenceofthesestrangerswhosecompanyshewouldseemtoprefertoours。"

"ButIdon\'tunderstandyou，madam，"saidMallory，sternly；"youarespeakingofmydaughter，and"——

"Excuseme，Mr。Mallory，"saidMrs。Randolph，liftingherhandwithherdriestdeprecationandhermostdesiccatingsmile，"I\'mnotpassingjudgmentorcriticism。Iamofaforeignrace，andconsequentlydonotunderstandthefreedomofAmericanyoungladies，andtheirfamiliaritywiththeoppositesex。Imakenocharges，Ionlywishtoassureyouthatshewillnodoubtbefoundinthecompanyandundertheprotectionofherowncountrymen。

Thereis，"sheaddedwithironicaldistinctness，"ayoungmechanic，orfieldhand，or\'quackwell-doctor，\'whomsheseemstoadmire，andwithwhomsheappearstobeonequalterms。"

Malloryregardedherforamomentfixedly，andthenhissternnessrelaxedtoamischievouslycomplacentsmile。"ThatmustbeyoungBent，ofwhomI\'veheard，"hesaidwithunabatedcheerfulness。

"AndIdon\'tknowbutwhatshemaybewithhim，afterall。FornowIthinkofit，achuckle-headedfellow，ofwhomamomentagoI

inquiredthewaytoyourhouse，toldmeI\'dbetterasktheyoungmanandyoungwomanwhowere\'philanderingthroughthewheat\'

yonder。Supposewelookforthem。FromwhatI\'veheardofBenthe\'stoomuchwrappedupinhisinventionsforflirtation，butitwouldbeagoodjoketostumbleuponthem。"

Mrs。Randolph\'seyessparkledwithaminglingofgratifiedmaliceandundisguisedcontemptforthefatuousfatherbesideher。Butbeforeshecouldacceptordeclinethechallenge，ithadbecomeuseless。Amurmurofyouthfulvoicesstruckherear，andshesuddenlystooduprightandtransfixedinthecarriage。Forloungingdownslowlytowardsthemoutofthedimgreenaislesofthearboredwheat，lostinthemselvesandtheshimmeringveiloftheirseclusion，cametheengineer，ThomasBent，andonhisarm，gazingingenuouslyintohisface，thefigureofAdele，——herownperfectdaughter。

"Idon\'tthink，mydear，"saidMr。Mallory，astheanxiousRoseflewintohisarmsonhisreturntoSanJose，afewhourslater，"thatitwillbenecessaryforyoutogobackagaintoMajorRandolph\'sbeforeweleave。Ihavesaid\'Good-by\'foryouandthankedthem，andyourtrunksarepackedandwillbesenthere。

Thefactis，mydear，youseethisaffairoftheearthquakeandthedisastertotheartesianwellhaveupsetalltheirarrangements，andIamafraidthatmylittlegirlwouldbeonlyintheirwayjustnow。"