ent somehow
connected with her present distress? Frederick's marked attention of
late to Madelene Waldstricker was, he supposed, generally known. He had
not seen him with Tess for a long time. He had concluded the young man's
interest in the squatter girl had passed. Was it possible that Tess
still cared for him?

"Well, that's hard to tell," he told her presently, looking out over the
lake. "But if they've had good luck, I suppose the young people are
quite well on their way to Paris by now. The ceremony, one of those
hasty affairs, was performed yesterday. They took the night train to New
York."

Tessibel's breath caught in her throat.... The heavens seemed to tumble
into the lake.... An awful booming sounded in her ears. She grew limp,
sick at heart, ... dizzy, but she made no outcry, only, unconscious of
its pain, bit her lip until it bled. The hope she had nursed, that he
would not do this awful thing was lost.

Pete stirred uneasily. Restrained by Tessibel's hand on his head, he
laid down again making whining noises in his throat, inarticulate
expressions of his love for the suffering girl.

"Didn't you know he was going to marry Miss Waldstricker?" asked Young.

"Yep,--I knew," whispered Tess, when she could breathe, "but--tell
me--about it."

"There's not much to tell," explained the Professor, reluctant to
distress her. "It seems the young lady didn't want a large wedding and
did want to start abroad immediately, so they had a private affair--no
one present but the relatives."

Tess made an effort to control herself.

"Graves won't go back to college any more," went on Young. "He's going
into business with his brother-in-law, Mr. Waldstricker. I understand
when they return from abroad they will live with my sister the rest of
the winter."

There was no response from the drooping little figure at his side.

Tess was thinking of the winter without Frederick. She sickened as she
pictured him away off in that foreign land. It seemed he must be at the
very end of the world. It bewildered her to think of his being with
another woman than herself. She could not think of them as married--He
was her husband. She was silent so long that Young spoke to her softly.
"Shall I take you home, my dear?"

Numb and dazed, she sat dumbly enduring the hurt.

"Nope, I air goin' to stay here awhile." 'Twas only a trembling breath
that wafted the man his answer.

Young hesitated. Then rising he walked away along the r