oment before.

"It's too late now," he objected, getting his emotions partly under
control. "The thing has been advertised too much to have any privacy
about it now. When they are left to guess things in this section the
guessing is awful! I'm never afraid to face men with the truth. He has
said you came here as a detective. Those men standing around heard him.
What have you to say?"

"Won't you let me talk to you alone?"

"If I'm to stand up here before men after this, the facts will have to
come out later; they may as well come out now."

He spoke mildly, but his manner afforded her no opportunity for further
appeal; he was a man of the square edge and he was acting according to
the code of the Open Places. She put away womanly weakness as best she
was able and continued with him on his own ground.

"There is a plot to keep you away from your duty on the drive this
season. You know as well as I do what interests furnished the money for
such a purpose."

"And you know about it, do you, because you are one of the detective
gang?"

"I have worked for the Vose-Mern agency."

She could not deny the evidence of that letter which he had shoved deep
down into his pocket. He had reminded her of it by whacking his hand
against his thigh.

"So that's what you are!" Again he was losing control of himself.

Men in the crowd snickered. They were perceiving much humor in the
situation.

"I can explain later." She, too, was breaking down under the strain. She
whimpered, pleading with him. "After you have brought down the drive I
can explain and----"

"Now! It must be now! I can't bring down any drive till you do explain."

She did not understand.

But he knew all too bitterly under what a sword of Damocles he was
standing. Ridicule was ready to slay him! The Big Laugh was already
gurgling deep in the throats of all the folks. The news of his
engagement had gone ahead of him to the north country; the Big Laugh
would roar along in the wake of that news.

"The truth! It must come out now!" he shouted. "All the truth--the whole
truth about yourself!"

"I can't tell you!" wailed Lida Kennard, turning her back fearsomely on
the big house on the ledges.

"You've got a mouthful of truth out of me. Can't you see how it is?"
growled Crowley.

"So that's what you are, is it?" Latisan dwelt on the subject, twisting
the handle that Crowley had given him.

"Mr. Latisan, listen to me! I implore you to forget me--what I am!