o right to expect it of
a woman----" he paused to find the right words and Hazel in a small
still voice of dignity reminded him:

"You are forgetting one of the reasons."

"Forgetting?" he turned towards her wonderingly and their eyes met for
just an instant, then hers were turned away again.

"Yes," she went on inscrutably. "You thought I--was not--fit!"

She was pulling up bits of green from the ground beside her. She felt a
frightened flutter in her throat. It was the point of the thorn that had
remained in her heart. It was not in nature for her not to speak of it,
yet when it was spoken she felt how it might be misunderstood.

But the missionary made answer in a kind of cry like some hurt creature.

"Not fit! Oh, my dear! You do not understand----"

There was that in his tone that extracted the last bit of rankling
thorn from Hazel's heart and brought the quick blood to her cheeks
again.

With a light laugh that echoed with relief and a deep new joy which she
dared not face as yet, she sprang to her feet.

"Oh, yes, I understand," she said gaily, "and it's all true. I'm not a
bit fit for a missionary. But oughtn't we to be moving on? I'm quite
rested now."

With a face that was grave to sadness he acquiesced, fastening the
canvas in place on the saddle, and putting her on her horse with swift,
silent movements. Then as she gathered up the reins he lingered for an
instant and taking the hem of her gown in his fingers he stooped and
touched his lips lightly, reverently to the cloth.

There was something so humble, so pathetic, so self-forgetful in the
homage that the tears sprang to the girl's eyes and she longed to put
her arms about his neck and draw his face close to hers and tell him how
her heart was throbbing in sympathy.

But he had not even asked for her love, and there must be silence
between them. He had shown that it was the only way. Her own reserve
closed her lips and commanded that she show no sign.

And now they rode on silently for the most part, the horses' hoofs
beating rapidly in unison. Now and then a rabbit scuttled on ahead of
them or a horned toad hopped out of their path. Short brown lizards
palpitated on bits of wood along the way; now and then a bright green
one showed itself and disappeared. Once they came upon a village of
prairie dogs and paused to watch their antics for a moment. It was then
as they turned away that she noticed the bit of green he had stuck in
his buttonh