n you feel you ever could be of me?"

Agatha's eyes fell. She felt that she could not look at him nor could
she answer his question honestly as she desired to answer it.

"At least I am bound to him until he releases me."

"Ah!" responded Wyllard, "that is what I was most afraid of. All along
it hampered me, and in it you have the reason for my cold, business-like
talk to-day. It is another reason why I should go away."

"For fear that you should tempt me from my duty?"

Wyllard's expression changed, and there crept into his eyes a gleam of
the passion that he was smothering.

"My dear," he said, "I seem to know that I could make you break faith
with that man. You belong to me. For three years you have been
everywhere with me. Now I must go away and Gregory will have a clear
field, but the probability is in favor of my coming back again, and
then, if he has failed to make the most of his chance, I'll enforce my
claim."

He seized both her hands, holding them firmly.

"That is my last word. At least, you will let me think that when I go up
yonder into the mists and snow I shall take your good wishes for my
success away with me."

She lifted her flushed face, and once looked him steadily in the eyes.

"My good wishes are yours, most fervently," she replied. "It would be
intolerable that you should fail."

He looked sad as he let her hands fall. "After all," he said, "one can
do only what one can."

He went away without another glance at her.

Not long afterwards Mrs. Hastings, who was possessed of a reasonable
measure of curiosity, found occasion to enter the room.

"You have said something to trouble Harry?" she began.

"I'm not sure he's greatly troubled. In any case, I told him I would not
marry him," Agatha answered.

Mrs. Hastings gave her a glance of compassionate astonishment.

"Oh," she said, "he's mad. Did he tell you that he means to leave
Gregory in charge of Willow Range?"

Agatha's face showed her surprise, but Mrs. Hastings nodded reassuringly.
"It's a fact," she asserted. "He asked Gregory to meet him here to save
time, and"--she turned towards the window--"there's his wagon now."

She went to the door, and then turned again.

"Is there any blood--red blood we will call it--or even common-sense in
you? You could have kept Harry here if you had wanted to do so?"

"No," replied Agatha, "I don't think I could. I'm not even sure that, if
I'd had the right, I would have done it. He recog