I'll fight this out with him now."

The question of supremacy took five minutes to settle. At the end of
that time Beaver Boy relapsed ignominiously into servitude, smarting
from the quirt and dripping sweat. Sheila put all her strength into a
final cut. The big bay took it meekly with what was almost a sigh and a
trembling quiver.

Farwell had watched the struggle with anxiety. "You won't have any more
trouble with him for a while. He's afraid of you now."

"He'd better be. He's been obstinate for months, getting worse all the
time. He had some notion in his head that he was merely _allowing_ me
to ride him. He did what he liked for a while last night when I was
shaken up, and he had to have his lesson. No use letting any one else
give it to him. He had to be shown that _I_ was able to do it."

"That's so," said Farwell, "that's sense. The idea of you going out in
the storm last night on that brute. No other girl would have done it.
It was fine, but it was foolish."

"Nonsense! I'm not afraid of rain or a horse. Could I do anything else?
It was up to me."

"Maybe. Well, you heard what I told Dunne about the water. That ought
to be satisfactory to all you people."

"Naturally I'm glad."

"I'm going away," he continued. "Also, I'm chucking up my job. I'm
sorry I ever took it. It was sheer waste of time. I'm going to work for
myself now. I hoped I would catch you at Dunne's place. I wanted to say
good-bye."

"I am sorry you are going."

"That's what Dunne said--and he didn't mean it. Do you?"

"I usually mean what I say."

"Well, I didn't know. I wouldn't blame you if you were glad. I behaved
like a--well, like a blackguard once."

"We needn't talk about that," said Sheila quietly. "That's over; I
don't think of it."

"But I do. I'm rough, but I'm not that kind--usually. You let me down
easy. If I could undo it I would; but I can't."

"No, it can't be undone. Why talk about it?"

"Because I keep thinking about it. I've kept away, as you wanted me
to--and because I was ashamed of myself. Honestly, I've tried to do the
best I could for your people--for your father. I tried my best to be a
friend. And the end of it was that I started gossip, and you told me to
keep away. That was pretty hard lines. It made me angry. And then I was
jealous of Dunne."

"He is going to marry Miss Burnaby."

"Lucky devil!" growled Farwell dejectedly. "Things run smooth for
_him_. I'll bet he doesn't think half as much of