or causing her to distrust him. But he did not
know what more he could say without telling her what must not be told.

"Just how would it make trouble for my father?" Lorraine asked at last.
"I can't believe you'd ask me to help cover up a crime, but it seems
hard to believe that a nightmare would cause any great commotion. And
why is my father unpopular?"

"Well, you don't know this country," Lone parried inexpertly. "It's
all right in some ways, and in some ways it could be a lot improved.
Folks haven't got much to talk about. They go around gabbling their
heads off about every little thing, and adding onto it until you can't
recognise your own remarks after they've peddled for a week. You've
maybe seen places like that."

"Oh, yes." Lorraine's eyes lighted with a smile. "Take a movie
studio, for instance."

"Yes. Well, you being a stranger, you would get all the worst of it.
I just thought I'd tell you; I'd hate to see you misunderstood by folks
around here. I--I feel kinda responsible for you; I'm the one that
found you."

Lorraine's eyes twinkled. "Well, I'm glad to know one person in the
country who doesn't gabble his head off. You haven't answered any of
my questions, and you've made me feel as if you'd found a dangerous,
wild woman that morning. It isn't very flattering, but I think you're
honest, anyway."

Lone smiled for the first time, and she found his smile pleasant. "I'm
no angel," he disclaimed modestly, "and most folks think I could be
improved on a whole lot. But I'm honest in one way. I'm thinking
about what's best for you, this time."

"I'm terribly grateful," Lorraine laughed. "I shall take great care
not to go all around the country telling people my dreams. I can see
that it wouldn't make me awfully popular." Then she sobered. "Mr
Morgan, that was a _horrible_ kind of--nightmare. Why, even last night
I woke up shivering, just imagining it all over again."

"It was sure horrible the way you talked about it," Lone assured her.
"It's because you were sick, I reckon. I wish you'd tell me as close
as you can where you left that grip of yours. You said it was under a
bush where a rabbit was sitting. I'd like to find the grip--but I'm
afraid that rabbit has done moved!"

"Oh, Mr Warfield and I found it, thank you. The rabbit had moved, but
I sort of remembered how the road had looked along there, and we hunted
until we discovered the place. Dad has driven in after my ot