hat perhaps her father had been set against
the Sergeant by Pierre.

"There, that'll do, father," she said. "It's easy to bark at a dead
lion. Sergeant Tom's asleep, and you say things that you wouldn't say
if he was awake. He never did us any harm, and you know that's true,
father."

Galbraith was about to reply with anger; but he changed his mind and
walked into the bar-room, followed by Pierre.

In Jen's mind a scheme had been hurriedly and clearly formed; and with
her, to form it was to put it into execution. She went to Sergeant Tom,
opened his coat, felt in the inside pocket, and drew forth an official
envelope. It was addressed to Inspector Jules at Archangel's Rise. She
put it back and buttoned up the coat again. Then she said, with her
hands firmly clenching at her side,--"I'll do it."

She went into the adjoining room and got a quilt, which she threw over
him, and a pillow, which she put under his head. Then she took his cap
and the cloak which he had thrown over a chair, as if to carry them
away. But another thought occurred to her, for she looked towards the
bar-room and put them down again. She glanced out of the window and saw
that her father and Pierre had gone to lessen the volume of gas which
was feeding the flame. This, she knew, meant that her father would go
to bed when he came back to the house; and this suited her purpose. She
waited till they had entered the bar-room again, and then she went to
them, and said: "I guess he's asleep for all night. Best leave him where
he is. I'm going. Good-night."

When she got back to the sitting-room she said to herself: "How old
father's looking! He seems broken up to-day. He isn't what he used to
be." She turned once more to look at Sergeant Tom, then she went to her
room.

A little later Peter Galbraith and Pretty Pierre went to the
sitting-room, and the old man drew from the Sergeant's pocket the
envelope which Jen had seen. Pierre took it from him. "No, Pete
Galbraith. Do not be a fool. Suppose you steal that paper. Sergeant Tom
will miss it. He will understand. He will guess about the drug, then you
will be in trouble. Val will be safe now. This Rider of the Plains will
sleep long enough for that. There, I put the paper back. He sleeps like
a log. No one can suspect the drug, and it is all as we like. No, we
will not steal; that is wrong--quite wrong"--here Pretty Pierre showed
his teeth. "We will go to bed. Come!"

Jen heard them ascend the stairs