at
the time." He drew out his watch and looked at it. "Shall we go on down,
Helen? It's a little early. I told the girl I'd come at two, but a half
an hour doesn't matter.... I can't rest until I get hold of that dwarf."

During the interval in which Helen went for her garden hat, Waldstricker
said to Deforrest,

"I may need you, Young, in this Bishop case. I'm privileged to call upon
you, of course?"

"I'll do anything I can, Ebenezer," agreed Young.

So it happened that when Tess rounded the mud cellar, she glanced up the
hill and saw the three making their way leisurely toward the lake. She
gave one bound and literally hurled herself through the shanty door into
the kitchen.

"Walderstricker air comin!" she hissed through her teeth in quivering
excitement. "Scoot under the tick, Andy! An', Daddy, get on my cot, an'
don't say no word less'n they ask ye something face to face.... Let me
do the talkin'."

She had no more than settled her father on the cot and heard the last of
the dwarf's burrowing in the attic when a long shadow fell across the
threshold. Stepping forward, she met Deforrest Young, who held out his
hand to her.

She greeted her friend with a dubious smile, and taking his hand, bowed
awkwardly to his sister. In her confusion she ignored Waldstricker
entirely. Their presence in the squatter's hut was so portentous and the
time for the preparations to receive them so short, Tessibel's wits
almost deserted her.

"Come in, all of ye," she stammered, at last, and stepped backward
across the uneven kitchen floor toward the cot at the further side of
the room.

Then she placed chairs for them, and when all were seated, settled
herself on the floor near Daddy Skinner, and shaking her curls back from
her face, looked with grave brown eyes from one to the other of the
ominous group.

"I'm very glad to see you, Tessibel," said Helen graciously.

"I air awful glad to see you, too, Ma'am," returned Tess, still
embarrassed.

Miss Young smiled toward Ebenezer, then back at the girl.

"You remember Mr. Waldstricker, don't you, Tess, dear?"

Tessibel allowed her gaze to rest on the elder. Of course she remembered
him. What did he desire of Daddy Skinner? That was all she wanted to
know.

"Yep," she answered, more calmly. "I remember 'im, sure I do! He--"

Waldstricker interrupted her with a quick interrogation.

"We had a little meeting yesterday, didn't we, Miss Tessibel? You didn't
wait for me