etter than she
thought; but when the horses stopped another man got down.

"Perhaps you'd better rouse out your hired man, Mrs. Charnock," he said
awkwardly. "I've got your husband here, but it's going to take two of us
to bring him in."

Sadie brought a lamp and, with her mouth firmly set, looked into the
rig. Bob lay upon some sacks in an ungainly attitude, and the jolting
had not broken his heavy sleep. It was some time since he had come home
like this, and Sadie felt dejected and tired. Then with an effort she
went to waken the hired man.

They carried Charnock in, and when she had given the driver some money
she sat down and indulged her passionate indignation. Wilkinson had sent
the rig, but had not been prompted by kindness when he told the man to
drive Bob back; it was his revenge for his defeat. He had found Bob,
made him drunk, when there was nothing to be gained by doing so, and
sent him home like this. The fellow was poison-mean, but she thought him
rash. He had struck her a cruel blow, but she did not mean to sit still
and nurse the wound. She must strike back with all the force she could
use and make him sorry he had provoked her to fight. Then, putting off
her half-formed plans until next day, she went to bed.

CHAPTER XVI

A COUNTER-STROKE

When Sadie got up next morning she ordered the buggy to be brought
round, and then went to look at Charnock. He was asleep, of which she
was rather glad, because there was something to be said and she was
highly strung. She could not trust her temper yet and might go too
far. Bob was generally docile, particularly when repentant; but it was
possible to drive him into an obstinate mood when nothing could be
done with him. She was angry, but her anger was mainly directed against
Wilkinson.

After breakfast she drove off across the plain. It was about eight
o'clock, but the sun was hot. The breeze was not so fresh as usual, and
a bank of dark clouds rolled up above the prairie's edge. They looked
solid and their rounded masses shone an oily black, and she wondered
whether they promised one of the thunder-storms that often broke upon
the plains on summer afternoons. She would have welcomed the savage
downpour, even if it had spoiled her clothes.

Sadie was getting anxious about the crop. Its failure would mean a
serious loss, and she hated to see labor and money wasted; but this was
not all. Knowing the risks the farmer ran on newly-broken land, she had
not