"I'm all right now," she told Bob, "and certainly very much ashamed."

"Amy!" he stammered.

She shot a swift look at him, and immediately arose to her feet.

"We will have to testify at a coroner's inquest, I presume," said she,
in the most matter-of-fact tones.

"I suppose so," agreed Bob morosely. It is impossible to turn back all
the strongly set currents of life without at least a temporary turmoil.

Amy glanced at him sideways, and smiled a faint, wise smile to herself.
For in these matters, while men are more analytical after the fact,
women are by nature more informed. She said nothing, but stooped to the
creek for a drink. When she had again straightened to her feet, Bob had
come to himself. The purport of Amy's last speech had fully penetrated
his understanding, and one word of it--the word _testify_--had struck
him with an idea.

"By Jove!" he cried, "that lets out Pollock!"

"What?" said Amy.

"This man Oldham was the only witness who could have convicted George
Pollock of killing Plant."

"What do you mean?" asked Amy, leaning forward interestedly. "Was he
there? How do you know about it?"

A half-hour before Bob would have hesitated long before confiding his
secret to a fourth party; but now, for him, the world of relations had
shifted.

"I'll tell you about it," said he, without hesitation; "but this is
serious. You must never breathe even a word of it to any one!"

"Certainly not!" cried Amy.

"Oldham wasn't an actual witness of the killing; but I was, and he knew
it. He could have made me testify by informing the prosecuting
attorney."

Bob sketched rapidly his share in the tragedy: how he had held Pollock's
horse, and been in a way an accessory to the deed. Amy listened
attentively to the recital of the facts, but before Bob had begun to
draw his conclusions, she broke in swiftly.

"So Oldham offered to let you off, if you would keep out of this Modoc
Land case," said she.

Bob nodded.

"That was it."

"But it would have put you in the penitentiary," she pointed out.

"Well, the case wasn't quite decided yet."

She made her quaint gesture of the happily up-thrown hands.

"Just what you said about Mr. Welton!" she cried. "Oh, I'm _glad_ you
told me this! I was trying so hard to think you were doing a high and
noble duty in ignoring the consequences to that poor old man. But I
could not. Now I see!"

"What do you mean?" asked Bob curiously, as she paused.

"You could do