ld to me. What's he doing here?"

"Just riding through the mountains on his vacation."

"What does your mother think of him?"

"She likes him very much."

"Well, I won't make any objection, then."

Viola stared--then blushed furiously. "What do you mean?"

"Why, didn't you bring him up here to see how I liked him?"

She pounded him with her little brown fist while tears of
mortification filled her eyes. "Now, you stop that! You're teasing me.
Why, I've only known him three days."

He laughed silently, shaking his head. "Well, these things move
quickly sometimes--and how was I to know but you'd known him in the
East--you seemed so chummy-like--"

"You've spoiled everything," she wailed, deeply disturbed and
painfully self-conscious. "You're mean to me."

He became instantly contrite. "There, now, don't you mind my joking.
Of course I was fooling. It's all safe between us, anyway."

But the mischief was done. She forgave him, but never again would she
be the same to him, to her mother, or to the imperturbable young man
smoking his pipe beneath the firs. He _was_ young--that was only too
plain to her now; not so young as Clinton, but not the middle-aged
person she had been fancying him to be.

As they were about to start on their homeward trail, Serviss sought
opportunity to say: "Mr. Lambert, I met this man Clarke at your house
last night, and I want to say that I don't think his influence on your
family is particularly wholesome. He's morbid and given to fads."

Lambert replied: "I know what you mean, professor, and I believe
you're right. I don't believe in him myself, and I don't take any
stock in any of his notions, but my wife does. She thinks he's of the
Covenant, somehow. I wish you'd talk with her and try to have her let
up on Viola. I don't think they're doin' right by her. If she was my
own girl I'd stop it--I would so." Then he added, in a curious tone,
this vague defence: "As for Viola, she would be all right if they
would leave her alone. She's gifted in a way I don't understand; but
if she isn't twisted by Clarke's foolishness she's going to make some
man a good wife. She's a good girl, and, as I say, if she was my own
child I'd serve notice that this circle business should stop. I wish
you'd talk to 'em. I don't count--but they'll listen to you. I'm glad
to have met you. I hope you'll come up again. I'd like to mill that
business over with you; it's all very curious, but I'm just plumb
distr