ver of the sky. Perhaps Fate guided him to the ridge,
who knows? At any rate, it seemed so afterwards to Becky, who felt that
the shadow of Randy against the silver sky was the thing that saved her.

She gave the old Indian cry, and he answered it.

His shadow wavered on the ridge. He was lost for a moment against the
blackness of the hedge, and emerged on the other side of the pool.

"Randy," she was a bit breathless, "here we are, Mr. Dalton and I. I saw
you on the ridge. You have no idea how tall your shadow seemed----"

She was talking in that clear light voice which was not her own. Dalton
said sullenly, "Hello, Paine." And Randy's heart was singing, "She
called me."

The three of them walked to the house together. Becky had insisted that
she must go back to her guests. George left them at the step. He was
for the moment beaten. As he drove his car madly back to King's Crest,
he tried to tell himself that it was all for the best. That he must let
Becky alone. He would be a fool to throw himself away on a shabby
slender slip of a thing because she had clear eyes and bronze hair.

But it was not because of her slenderness and clear eyes and bronze hair
that Becky held him, it was because of the force within her which baffled
him.

The guests were leaving. They had had the time of their lives. They
packed themselves into their various cars, and the surrey, and shouted
"good-bye." The Major stayed and sat on the lawn to talk to the Judge
and Mrs. Beaufort. Mary and Truxton ascended the stairs to the Blue
Room, where little Fiddle slept in the Bannister crib that had been
brought down from the attic.

Becky and Randy went into the Bird Room and sat under the swinging lamp.
"I have something to tell you, Randy," Becky had said, and as in the days
of their childhood the Bird Room seemed the place for confidences.

Becky curled herself up in the Judge's big chair like a tired child.
Randy on the other side of the empty fireplace said, "You ought to be in
bed, Becky."

"I shan't--sleep," nervously. There were deep shadows under her troubled
eyes. "I shan't sleep when I go."

Randy came over and knelt by her side. "My dear, my dear," he said, "I
am afraid I have let you in for a lot of trouble."

"But the things you said were true--he came--because he thought
I--belonged to--you."

She hesitated. Then she reached out her hand to his. "Randy," she said,
"I told him I was going to marry--yo