entally?" repeated Siward under his breath.

"Yes, mentally. What's the trouble? Stocks? Bonds? Lawsuits? Love?" the
slightest pause, and a narrowing of the gimlet eyes behind the lenses.
"Love?" he repeated harshly. "Which is it, boy? They're all good to let
alone."

"Business," said Siward. But, being a Siward, he was obliged to add
"partly."

"Business--partly," repeated the doctor. "What's the matter with
business--partly?"

"I don't know. There are rumours. Hetherington is pounding
us--apparently. That Inter-County crowd is acting ominously, too.
There's something underhand, somewhere." He bent his head and fell to
plucking at the faded brocade on the arm of his chair, muttering to
himself, "somewhere, somehow, something underhand. I don't know what; I
really don't."

"All right--all right," said the doctor testily; "let it go at that!
There's treachery, eh? You suspect it? You're sure of it--as reasonably
sure as a gentleman can be of something he is not fashioned to
understand? That's it, is it? All right, sir--all right! Very
well--ver-y well. Now, sir, look at me! Business symptoms admitted, what
about the 'partly,' Stephen?--what about it, eh? What about it?"

But Siward fell silent again.

"Eh? Did you say something? No? Oh, very well, ver-y well, sir. ...
Perfectly correct, Stephen. You have not earned the right to admit
further symptoms. No, sir, you have not earned the right to admit them
to anybody, not even to yourself. Nor to--her!"

"Doctor!"

"Sir?"

"I have--admitted them."

"To yourself, Steve? I'm sorry. You have no right to--yet. I'm sorry--"

"I have admitted them--admitted them--to her."

"That settles it," said the doctor grimly, "that clinches it! That locks
you to the wheel! That pledges you. The squabble is on, now. It's your
honour that's engaged now, not your nerves, not your intestines. It's
a good fight--a very good fight, with no chance of losing anything but
life. You go up the river to Mulqueen's. That's the strategy in this
campaign; that's excellent manoeuvring; that's good generalship! Eh?
Mask your purpose, Steve; make a feint of camping out here under my
guns; then suddenly fling your entire force up the Hudson and fortify
yourself at Mulqueen's! Ho, that'll fix 'em! That's going to astonish
the enemy!"

His harsh, dry, crackling laughter broke out like the distant rattle of
musketry.

The ghost of a smile glimmered in Siward's haunted eyes, then faded as
he