ready to go. He gave Imogene a sardonic smile.

"May the music she hears to-night strengthen her soul for the morrow's
smash," he said; and went out.

Where the trail from the cabins debouched upon the main mesa road he
slowed the car to a stop and sat for a time in thought, with the
engine humming softly and the freezing night air biting at his cheeks.
It seemed to make little difference where he went, or if he went at
all. Nothing worth while was at the end of any road. His inclination,
however, was working and at last he set out for the Graham ranch.

Since his Christmas visit he had made a number of calls there, a
rather large number, indeed, considering everything. He had schooled
his face and words on those occasions to a passivity he was far from
feeling, and had left Louise's presence each time with a greater
torment of mind. Now this was the end--of her as of everything so far
as he was concerned. To-morrow the project came down in wreckage. Then
he should go from Perro Creek, poorer in purse, poorer in spirit,
poorer in faith, sore, and bitterly disillusionized.

Louise Graham observed a shadow upon his countenance as she invited
him to a seat before the fireplace. Her father was absent and she had
been reading a book when Bryant's knock came. She had been wondering,
too, if the engineer might not choose this night to call again. How
much these calls of his now meant to her she did not dare consider.

"What's wrong, Lee?" she asked at once, anxiously. "I see something
has happened."

He moved round on the divan that he might fully face her.

"Everything so far as my affairs go," he replied. "Work stops on the
canal to-morrow. That will result, of course, in the water right
lapsing and in the ditch never being finished or used, except under
the circumstance of my handing over my interest gratis to Gretzinger
and the bondholders. If I did that even, I don't believe Gretzinger
could finish it on time, for neither Carrigan nor the men would exert
themselves for him as they have for me, and they would be sure of
their pay in any case. The trouble is, I've used up all the money and
can borrow no more. I'm through. And I can't bring myself to the point
of surrendering my interest in the company to the bondholders merely
to pull them out. They're trying to strangle me in order that they may
profit; they could put up the cash needed easily enough if they would;
but they count on my yielding. I shall not do so. A