urse through the woods toward the
school. I knew that the girl stood in the door behind me. Alf and the
old man were already in the field; I could hear them talking to their
horses; and Mrs. Jucklin was up stairs--Guinea and I were alone. I
turned and looked at her and again she smiled.

"The world seems to be holding its breath, waiting for something to
happen," she said. "To me it always appears so when there is a lull in
the air just at sunrise."

"What a fanciful little creature you are," I replied.

"Little! Oh, you mustn't call me little. I'm taller than mother. I don't
want to be little, although it is more appealing. I want to be
commanding."

"But what can be more commanding than an appeal?" I asked.

"Yes, when the appeal is pitiful, but I don't want any one to pity me,"
she said, laughing. "You big folks have such a patronizing way. You
don't look well this morning, Mr. Hawes. Is it because you have been
worrying over those wretched Aimes boys? Won't you please forgive me?"
she quickly added. "I don't know why I said that, for I ought to know
that you are not afraid of them."

"I didn't sleep very well," I answered, "but I was not thinking of the
Aimes boys. Shall I tell you what worried me?"

"Yes, surely."

"It may require almost an unwarranted frankness on my part, but I will
tell you. It seemed to me that----" I hesitated. "Go on," she said.
"Well, it seemed that you were strangely unconcerned when I told you
that I was likely to have trouble with those people."

She stood with her head resting against the door-facing. I looked hard
at her, striving to catch some sign of emotion, but I saw no evidence of
feeling; she was cool and reserved.

"I don't know why you should have thought that," she said. "Why should I
be so uncharitable. I was very sorry that anything was likely to
interrupt the school."

"Oh," I replied, and perhaps with some bitterness, "it really amounts to
but little--the threat of those ruffians, I mean--and to speak about it
almost puts me down as a fool. I hope you will forgive me."

I hastened away, with a senseless anger in my heart, and I think that it
is well that I saw no member of the Aimes family that morning on my way
to school.

Everything went forward as usual; play-time came, and the children
shouted in the woods, and the hour for dismissal had nearly arrived when
in stalked Alf with a shot-gun. He nodded at me and took a seat far to
the rear of the room, as i