searching. At once he decided
that she was looking for the lost coin. But the girl was not Anne.

Looking up suddenly she surveyed him with a startled air, and he saw her
face plainly in the quiet evening light. She had reddish hair, a
freckled face, and was dressed--as Mrs. Parry had said--in all the
colors of the rainbow. Giles guessed at once who she was, and bowed.

"Good evening, Miss Franklin," he said, lifting his hat, "you seem to be
looking for something. Can I assist you?"

The damsel looked at him sternly and scowled. "You're trespassing," she
said in rather a gruff voice.

"I fear that I am," he answered, laughing; "but you'll forgive me if I
assist you in your search, won't you?"

"Who are you?" questioned Miss Franklin, quite unmoved by this
politeness. "I never saw you before."

"I have just returned from London. My name is Ware."

"Ware!" echoed the girl eagerly. "Giles Ware?"

"Yes. Do you know my name?"

She took a good look at him, and seemed--he was vain enough to think
so--rather to soften towards him. "I have heard Mrs. Morley speak of
you," she declared bluntly.

"Ah! You have not heard a lady speak of me?"

Miss Franklin stared. "No, I never heard a lady talk of you," she
replied, with a giggle. "What lady?"

"The lady who is stopping in your house."

Her eyes became hard, and she assumed a stony expression. "There is no
lady in the house but myself."

"Not a lady who lost what you are looking for?"

This time she was thrown off her guard, and became as red as her hair.
She tried to carry off her confusion with rudeness. "I don't know what
you're talking of," she said, with a stamp and a frown! "you can just
clear away off our land, or I'll set the dogs on you."

"I see. You keep dogs, do you? Bloodhounds probably?"

"How do you know that?" asked Miss Franklin, staring. "Yes, we do keep
bloodhounds, and they will tear you to pieces if you don't go."

"You seem to forget that this is a civilized country," said Giles
quietly. "If you set your dogs on me, I shall set the police on you."

"The police!" She seemed startled, but recovered herself. "I don't care
for the police," she declared defiantly.

"You might not, but Walter Franklin might."

"Who is he? Never heard of him."

"Never heard of your uncle?" said Giles, and then wondered how he could
let her know that he had heard it without confessing to the
eavesdropping. It suddenly occurred to him that Franklin had--he
s