om, and in her direct way
and using the fewest possible words, which had created for her her
reputation of a woman who never spoke and who was packed with strange
secrets, she asked Larry what he had done concerning Maggie. He told
her of the plan he had evolved, of Maggie's visit to Cedar Crest, of
his ignorance of Maggie's reactions. To all this his grandmother made
response neither by word nor by change of expression. He then went on to
tell her of what he had just learned from Casey of Barney's maneuvering
his misfortunes.

The old head nodded. "Yes, Barney's just that sort," she said in her
flat monotone.

And then she came to the purpose of her sending for him. "How do you
feel about Maggie now?"

"The same as before."

"You love her?"

"Yes--and always will," he said firmly.

She was silent once more. Then, "What are you going to do next?"

"Break things up between her and Barney and her father. Get her away
from them."

She asked no further questions. Larry was as settled as a man could
be. But was Maggie worth while?--that was the great question still
unanswered.

"Just what did you want me for, grandmother?" he asked her finally.

"Something which I thought might have developed, but which hasn't."

And so she let him go away without telling him. And wishing to shape
things for the best for him, she was troubled by the same doubts as
before.

His visit with his grandmother had had no meaning to Larry, since he
had no guess of the struggle going on within that ancient, inscrutable
figure. The visit had for him merely served to fill in a nervous,
useless hour. His rage against Barney had all the while possessed him
too thoroughly for him to give more than the mere surface of his mind
to what had passed between his grandmother and himself. And when he had
left her, his rage at Barney's treachery and his impetuous desire to
snatch Maggie away from her present influences, so stormed within him
that his usually cautious judgment was blown away and recklessness swept
like a gale into control of him.

When he called up the Grantham a second time, at nine o'clock, Maggie's
voice came to him:

"Hello. Who this, please?"

"Mr. Brandon."

He heard a stilted "Oh!" at the other end of the line "I'm coming right
up to see you," he said.

"I--I don't think you--"

"I'll be there in then minutes," Larry interrupted the startled voice
and hung up.

He counted that Maggie, after his sparing her at Ceda