' her all right," whispered Blinky,
hopefully.

"Blink, I'll bet a million she'll be glad--after it all comes out,"
responded Pan.

Presently Louise interrupted their whispered colloquy. "Help me up.
I'm sick--and weak."

They lifted her back into the wagon and covered her. In the pale
starlight her eyes looked unnaturally big and black.

"No use--to lie," she said drowsily, her head rolling. "I'm glad to
leave--Marco.... Take me anywhere."

Then her eyes closed. Again Pan drew Blinky away into the gloom.

"It's the way I figured," whispered Pan swiftly. "She'll never
remember what happened."

"Thank Gawd fer thet," breathed Blinky.

They found the campfire deserted except for Gus and Pan's father.
Evidently Pan's advent interrupted a story that had been most exciting
to Gus.

"Son, I--I was just tellin' Gus all I know about what come off
yesterday," explained Smith, frankly, though with some haste. "But
there are some points I'd sure like cleared up for myself."

Pan had expected this, and had fortified himself against the inevitable.

"Well, get it over then once and for all," he replied, not too civilly.

"You come damn near buttin' right into the weddin'!" ejaculated Smith,
with a sense of what dramatic possibility had just been missed.

Pan, whose back had been turned to the campfire light, suddenly whirled
as if on a pivot.

"What?" he cried. Then there seemed to be a cessation of all his
faculties.

"Why, son, you needn't jump out of your boots," returned the father,
somewhat offended. "Lucy was married to Hardman in the stage office
just before you got there. Fact was, she'd just walked out to get in
the stage when you came.... Now, I was only sayin' how funny it'd been
if you had got there sooner."

"Who--told--you--that?"

"Lucy told me. An' she said tonight she didn't believe you knew,"
returned his father.

There was a blank silence. Pan slowly turned away from the light.

"No. I had an idea--she'd been married--days," replied Pan in queer
strangled voice.

"You should have asked some questions," said Smith bluntly. "It was a
damn unfortunate affair, but it mustn't be made worse for Lucy than it
actually was.... She was Dick Hardman's wife for less than five
minutes before you arrived."

Without another word Pan stalked away into the darkness. He heard his
father say: "Bet that's what ailed him--the darned idiot!"

Pan gained the pasture fence under the dark tre