had been to
her an added terror that the black shadow of Oolanga, whom she dreaded,
would follow hard on his master. A load was lifted from her mind when he
did not make his usual stealthy approach. She had also feared, though in
lesser degree, lest Lady Arabella should be present to make trouble for
her as before.

With a woman's natural forethought in a difficult position, she had
provided the furnishing of the tea-table as a subtle indication of the
social difference between her and her guest. She had chosen the
implements of service, as well as all the provender set forth, of the
humblest kind. Instead of arranging the silver teapot and china cups,
she had set out an earthen teapot, such as was in common use in the farm
kitchen. The same idea was carried out in the cups and saucers of thick
homely delft, and in the cream-jug of similar kind. The bread was of
simple whole-meal, home-baked. The butter was good, since she had made
it herself, while the preserves and honey came from her own garden. Her
face beamed with satisfaction when the guest eyed the appointments with a
supercilious glance. It was a shock to the poor girl herself, for she
enjoyed offering to a guest the little hospitalities possible to her; but
that had to be sacrificed with other pleasures.

Caswall's face was more set and iron-clad than ever--his piercing eyes
seemed from the very beginning to look her through and through. Her
heart quailed when she thought of what would follow--of what would be the
end, when this was only the beginning. As some protection, though it
could be only of a sentimental kind, she brought from her own room the
photographs of Mimi, of her grandfather, and of Adam Salton, whom by now
she had grown to look on with reliance, as a brother whom she could
trust. She kept the pictures near her heart, to which her hand naturally
strayed when her feelings of constraint, distrust, or fear became so
poignant as to interfere with the calm which she felt was necessary to
help her through her ordeal.

At first Edgar Caswall was courteous and polite, even thoughtful; but
after a little while, when he found her resistance to his domination
grow, he abandoned all forms of self-control and appeared in the same
dominance as he had previously shown. She was prepared, however, for
this, both by her former experience and the natural fighting instinct
within her. By this means, as the minutes went on, both developed the
power