in the sick man,
thankful for Jock's assistance and enlivening humour, disregarded
conventions, and admitted the new friend to the holy of holies in their
bungalow life.

Jock had not been so supremely happy in years. The companionship healed
the wound Gaston had given his faith, and he found himself shielding and
defending both Gaston and Joyce against his own crude judgments.

Before coming to St. Ange, Drew had been kept in touch with all that the
men who were working for him considered his legitimate business.
Anything pertaining to his house was fully explained; village scandal,
however, had been ignored, and when Drew was able to be moved in a
steamer-chair to his broad porch facing the west, he had many astounding
things to learn.

One morning, lying luxuriously back among his cushions and inhaling the
pine-filled air with relish, Drew electrified Filmer, who sat near him
on the porch railing, by observing calmly:

"Filmer, I've a load of questions I want to ask."

"Heave 'em out." Jock sighed resignedly. Of course, he had anticipated
this hour, and he knew that he must be the high priest. "Heave 'em out,
and then settle down 'mong facts."

"Where is Jude Lauzoon?" This was hitting the bull's eye with a
vengeance.

"Gone off for change of air and scene--somewhere." Jock presented a
stolid, blank face to his inquisitor.

"Gone where?"

"Now how in--how do you expect I know? Just gone."

"Taken that pretty little wife of his to new scenes, eh? Well, she never
seemed to me to belong here rightfully. I hope they'll do well."

Jock hitched uncomfortably.

"Well," he broke in, feeling it was inevitable, "Joyce didn't, as you
might say, go with Jude. She's stopping on here."

"With the baby? There was a baby, I recall. My sister talked of it a
good deal. She was interested in Joyce Lauzoon from what I told her."

"Well," Filmer felt his way, "there was, as you say, a--a baby, at least
a kind of--a--baby. It was about as near a failure as _I_ ever saw; but
Joyce was plain crazy about it."

"Was? Is--the child dead?" Drew's big eyes were full of sympathy.

"Well, I should say so! And women is queer creatures, Drew. Now any one
with an open mind would have been blamed glad when that poor little cuss
cut loose. It never would have had a show in life; it was a big mistake
from the beginning, but after it went, and was comfortably planted
behind the shack, what do you think? Why, she came back one night an