ightened herself a little, and the colour crept into her
face. "Do not be foolish, father. You cannot fancy that the man was
speaking seriously."

"I don't know," said Deringham. "I am not sure that he does himself,
and if you do not, there is an end of the affair. Still, if there had
been anything in the speech the possibility alluded to would have
lifted a great load from me."

He said nothing further, but passed on, leaving the girl standing on
the verandah with head bent a trifle, and a face that was less cold in
colouring than usual. Presently, however, she stood upright suddenly
as Alton came up the stairway, but not before he had seen her. After a
swift glance at her he put his hand gently on her shoulder.

"You are in some trouble. Can't you tell me what it is?" he said.

Alice Deringham could just see his face in the moonlight, and it was
gravely compassionate, but there was in it, none of the personal
admiration she had sometimes noticed there, which had its effect upon
her attitude towards him. He was, she felt, sorry for her because she
was a woman menaced by some difficulty, and that she should be an
object of pity to this bush rancher stung the pride, of which she had a
good deal. Had he tendered his sympathy because she was Alice
Deringham it is possible that she would have told him something, though
not exactly the simple state of the case. As it was, however, she
shook his hand off, and looked at him with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Why should you suppose that, and venture to presume upon it?" she said.

"Would it be presuming?"

"It would," said the girl very coldly.

"Then," said Alton, "you can't tell me?"

"No, of course not. Is there any reason why I should?"

Here at least was an opportunity, but if the man desired to gain his
companion's confidence he made an indifferent use of it. "We are some
kind of relations, and you promised to be friends with me," he said.

Miss Deringham laughed a little. "One seldom tells one's troubles to
one's friends," she said.

Alton seemed to sigh. "Then there is nothing I can do?"

"Yes," said Miss Deringham. "People are usually best alone when they
have to grapple with a difficulty."

Alton still lingered a moment. "If you don't want to tell me, I don't
know how to make you, and I'm sorry, because I might fix the thing up,"
he said gravely. "Well, I'm going, but it hurts me to see anything
worrying you, and know that somebody else has