sertion and sudden-gained dignity, but they withered under the
inquiring gaze.

"You've come from Joyce Birkdale's? I congratulate you, Jude."

So he knew that too! Jude felt a superstitious aversion to this man he
had but recently begun to have any feeling toward whatever outside the
ordinary give and take of village life.

Over the ground he had come laboriously to discuss, Gaston strode with
unerring instinct. There were no words ready for this friendly advance,
so Jude halted. He had meant to approach the announcement of his
engagement to Joyce by telling Gaston what he had seen from the hilltop
that afternoon and what he had gained since, and then he had intended,
in man-fashion, to warn Gaston off his preserves. Instead, he sat
twirling his cap and foolishly staring.

"Smoke?" Gaston felt his guest's discomfort and tried to ease the
strain. He pushed the tobacco-jar forward; no St. Ange man ever
travelled without his own pipe.

"Given it up," muttered Jude, "and cards likewise, and--and drink; I'm
going to get married right away."

This was rather startling. Gaston had expected some faltering on Joyce's
part, some dallying with the past. The smoke of his burning bridges was
still in Gaston's consciousness. He had lighted the fuse, to be sure,
but had not expected the demoralization to be so prompt.

For a minute his gaze faltered, then he said cordially:

"Good! And you won't drink to it--or smoke over it? Well, then, shake,
old man."

For the life of him Jude could not decline. So their hands met over the
bare table.

An awkward pause followed. Gaston took refuge in smoke. He drew the
inevitable pipe from his pocket, filled and lighted it, and during the
time of grace, got himself in hand.

"Jude," he said between puffs, "I want to see her married."

Jude's anger rose. The words and the tone brought back his suspicions
and jealousies.

"I want that girl to have a chance at life." Gaston looked over Jude's
head, and drew hard upon his pipe. "She's never really waked up. Just
got the call, you know. Before this, she's been dreaming, and God alone
knows where she got her dream material. Like the rest of us, until she
finds out, she's going to expect her dream to come true. In heaven's
name, Lauzoon, help her to make it true."

The import of all this touched Jude not at all, but the meddling of this
outsider did mightily stir him to depths he had never fathomed before.
Suddenly a kind of courage cam