re, his excesses had
not yet shown in his person. What would he do now that he had lost his
job at Highcourt?

There he was sitting on the doorstep of his shack, smoking his pipe, his
bare arms akimbo, staring out across the sunset void towards the sea. He
seemed also to be meditating with himself upon something of interest.
Upon Adelle's approach this time, he did not take himself off, but
continued to smoke indifferently, totally ignoring her presence. As she
came in front of him, she stopped involuntarily and found herself
speaking to the mason.

"Good-evening," was all she said.

The man mumbled some reply, as if against his will. And then again the
unexpected happened to Adelle,--at least the unforeseen. She asked him a
question. It was a simple question, but it was entirely out of Adelle's
character to make even the small advance implied by asking a question,
especially to a servant who had been discharged on her orders.

"Do you live up here alone?"

"Have been living here," the man replied grudgingly, "till to-day. Don't
expect to much longer," he added meaningly.

Adelle knew that he was referring to what had occurred earlier in the
day between them, and throwing the blame for his dislodgment upon her.

"What are you going to do?" she asked after a pause.

He looked at her with mild astonishment for her question in his blue
eyes, then said,--

"Donno exactly--get drunk, maybe," and he glanced at her truculently.

Adelle did not know why she went on talking to the man, but her
curiosity was thoroughly aroused and the questions popped unexpectedly
into her mind.

"Why did you kill that shrub when I asked you not to put the stone upon
it?" she demanded next.

The man looked at her for a moment with an expression of mingled
surprise, dislike, and amusement.

"Asked me! You ordered me."

"Why did you do it?" Adelle repeated, ignoring this subtle distinction.

"Guess I felt like it," he replied evasively. "I don't take no orders
except from my boss," he grumbled. "Don't like no interference."

"But it's my place--you were working for me!" Adelle rejoined
convincingly.

"And," the mason demanded bluntly, "who in hell are you, anyway?"

Adelle had not heard such direct language from a man for a good many
years, although Archie sometimes hinted the same thing in slightly more
polished language. At first she was staggered and thought she had made a
mistake in giving this man another opportunity to