idly
silent.

"It's a mighty cold day outside," interjected Smith, "and blowing up
something I think."

"Oh, hang it, Raven!" blurted out Cameron, who sat stupidly gazing into
the fire, "Stay and eat. This is no kind of day to go out hungry. It is
too beastly cold."

"Thanks, Cameron, it IS a cold day, too cold to stay."

"Do stay, Mr. Raven," pleaded Moira.

He turned swiftly and looked into her soft brown eyes now filled with
warm kindly light.

"Alas, Miss Cameron," he replied in a low voice, turning his back upon
the others, his voice and his attitude seeming to isolate the girl from
the rest of the company, "believe me, if I do not stay it is not because
I do not want to, but because I cannot."

"You cannot?" echoed Moira in an equally low tone.

"I cannot," he replied. Then, raising his voice, "Ask the
Superintendent. He knows that I cannot."

"Do you know?" said Moira, turning upon the Superintendent, "What does
he mean?"

The Superintendent rose angrily.

"Mr. Raven chooses to be mysterious," he said. "If he cannot remain here
he knows why without appealing to me."

"Ah, my dear Superintendent, how unfeeling! You hardly do yourself
justice," said Raven, proceeding to draw on his gloves. His drawling
voice seemed to irritate the Superintendent beyond control.

"Justice?" he exclaimed sharply. "Justice is a word you should hesitate
to use."

"You see, Miss Cameron," said Raven with an injured air, "why I cannot
remain."

"No, I do not!" cried Moira in hot indignation. "I do not see," she
repeated, "and if the Superintendent does I think he should explain."
Her voice rang out sharp and clear. It wakened her brother as if from a
daze.

"Tut, tut, Moira!" he exclaimed. "Do not interfere where you do not
understand."

"Then why make insinuations that cannot be explained?" cried his sister,
standing up very straight and looking the Superintendent fair in the
face.

"Explained?" echoed the Superintendent in a cool, almost contemptuous,
voice. "There are certain things best not explained, but believe me if
Mr. Raven desires explanation he can have it."

The men were all on their feet. Quickly Moira turned to Raven with a
gesture of appeal and a look of loyal confidence in her eyes. For a
moment the hard, cynical face was illumined with a smile of rare beauty,
but only for a moment. The gleam passed and the old, hard, cynical face
turned in challenge to the Superintendent.

"Explain!" he said