s, almost sleepless night, she
had heard Dwight's deep tones at the front gate in earnest conversation
with Priscilla, who now had entirely disappeared. More than once of late
the two had been in talk over some of Priscilla's schemes, but the
housemaid said she thought Miss Sanford had gone now with the major down
the row, perhaps to Lieutenant Thornton's. Why should they go thither?
Priscilla had been so very silent, subdued and, it was hoped, contrite
since the exposure of her correspondence with the _Banner_ that Mrs. Ray
marveled at her early resumption of the old dominant way; for, though
low-voiced and almost reluctant, for her, Priscilla's words to the major
had been spoken firmly, unflinchingly. Only two or three of these words
had reached the ears of her aunt; the others were not sufficiently loud
or articulate, but whatever they were, they had led to immediate action,
for the major had departed, Priscilla with him, and, anxiously, inspired
partially by the music, partially by some indefinable sense of something
going sadly amiss, something that should be stopped at once, Marion
stepped forward, gazed eastward down the row and saw Priscilla in close
conversation with little Mrs. Thornton, only five doors away, and then,
all in a flash, she remembered----

Sandy, before starting for his office, had gone back to his room. He at
least was on hand and ready to act in case she needed him, but as yet
she did not call. Forgetful, for the moment, of her visitor, she stood
clasping the rail and staring, inert and even possibly fascinated, along
the westward line, following intently and with startled, troubled eyes
the major's movements. Others, too, had noted both among the spectators
along that front and among the laughing lads themselves. By this time
the ponies had been favored with new riders and the riders with every
conceivable suggestion as to what to attempt. Jimmy had given place to
Harold Winn, and rejoicefully was bidding him clamp tighter with his
legs and knees and keep his hands down on the withers, but too late. A
sudden lunge with his heels, a dive with his shaggy head, and the spunky
little brute, half-savage as a result of all-savage training, had
propelled his would-be conqueror sprawling to the edge of the gleaming
waters of the _acequia_, and a shout of mingled delight and derision
went up from a dozen boy throats, and Jimmy, helping his playmate,
unhurt but shaken, to his feet, caught sight of the l