"Well," she confessed very simply, "I think I loved you in the days
when you were building the dam."

He bent down and kissed her, and neither of them ever remembered
exactly what they said.

A few minutes later there was a clatter in the shadow above them, and
two men came scrambling down, each leading a jaded horse. Nasmyth rose
and turned toward them when they stopped close in front of him.

"You have some business with me?" he inquired.

One of them handed him a sealed paper, and he opened it with
deliberation.

"I may as well tell you that I expected this," he said. He glanced at
Laura. "I am summoned to attend in Victoria and show cause why I
should not be restrained from injuring the holding of a rancher at the
head of the valley. In the meantime I am instructed to carry on the
operations in the canyon no further."

He turned to the men. "You should have come along an hour or two ago.
I don't propose to do anything further in the canyon; in fact, I have
accomplished the purpose I had in hand."

As his meaning dawned on them, the men gazed at each other in evident
consternation, until one of them turned to Laura.

"Well," he commented, "in that case I guess it's quite a pity we
didn't, but I begin to understand the thing. This is the young lady
who told us the trail. She must have taken a shorter way."

Laura smiled at him. "You," she reminded him, "seemed anxious to go by
the easiest one."

The other man looked at Nasmyth. "I'm acting for Hutton, and it seems
you have got ahead of him," he observed. "Still, we're both out on
business, and I don't bear you any ill-will. In fact, if you're open
to make any arrangement, I should be glad to talk to you."

Nasmyth smiled as he answered: "You can at least come and get some
supper. I expect the boys will fix you and your horses for the
night."

They went down the gully together, and a few minutes later walked into
the flickering light of a great fire, near which a rudely bountiful
supper had been laid out. Nasmyth pointed to the strangers.

"Boys," he said, "these are the men we expected, but I don't think
they mean to worry us now, and they've had a long ride." He turned to
the strangers. "Won't you sit down?"

There was a great burst of laughter, and one of the strangers smiled.

"We're in your hands, but I don't know any reason why you shouldn't be
generous, boys," he said.

He sat down, but for a moment or two Nasmyth and Laura stood still in
th