go to town, or do
without her. After all, I must not get too dependent on the girl--I'm
afraid I'm growing lazy. But if my arm still bothers me----"

Instantly Toni's anger melted away and a rush of affection and sympathy
took its place.

"I'm sorry, Owen--I didn't mean to be cross. I was talking nonsense--of
course you must have Miss Loder, I suppose I am jealous of her--because
she is so clever, and I'm such a little idiot."

"I don't want a clever wife, thank you," laughed Owen, little dreaming
how his careless words cut into the quivering soul of the girl beside
him. "I want a pretty, lively, jolly little girl--half Italian for
choice--who is a cross between a wood-nymph and--sometimes--a
tiger-cat--or kitten! And it seems to me I have got just exactly what I
want."

With an effort Toni smiled, in response to his good-natured jesting; and
Owen never knew that his well-meant words caused Toni to shed tears
before she slept that night.

CHAPTER XIX

Mr. Anson's reader reported favourably on Owen's book, and in a very
short time satisfactory terms were agreed upon between author and
publisher, and the work of proof-reading and revision began.

Unfortunately at the same time Owen felt his arm to be more than usually
painful; and a visit to town proved the necessity for further treatment,
of which perfect rest was a feature: with the result that once again
Owen was forced to accept the help of a secretary in his work.

Miss Loder, naturally, filled the post; and once more she came to
Greenriver, and took her place in the stately old library, where she and
Owen passed strenuous hours daily.

To Toni Miss Loder's presence was growing ever more and more
distasteful. Although Toni was not an intellectual woman, she had sharp
wits; and possibly she understood Millicent Loder's personality a good
deal better than Owen was able to do. And what Toni saw--and Toni's
intuition was rarely at fault--led her to distrust the other girl with
all her heart and soul.

Miss Loder belonged to a rather uncommon variant of the type of
emancipated womanhood. Although intensely modern in many ways she had
never been able to lose her inborn sense of the superiority of man in
mental as well as in physical matters.

She had none of the loudly-expressed scorn of the other sex by which
many women seek to hide their disappointment at the indifference of
members of that sex towards them.

Although she was by force of circumst