the outer door, and then came
back and signed to Grant and Flora Schuyler, who stood waiting in the
corridor.

"No," he said, and the lamplight showed a darker hue than the bronze of
frost and sun in his face. "Miss Schuyler, I have never felt quite so mean
before, and you will leave the rest to me."

"It seems to me," she said coolly, "that what you feel does not count for
much. Just now you have to do what is best for everybody. Stoop as low as
you can."

She stretched out her hand with a little imperious gesture, and laid it on
his arm, drawing herself up to her full height as she stood between him
and the light. They moved forward together, and Hetty closed her hand as
she watched them pass into the hall. The end was dim and shadowy, for the
one big lamp that was lighted stood some distance away by the stove, where
the man on watch was talking to the maid. Hetty realized that the girl was
playing her part well as she saw her make a swift step backwards, and
heard the man's low laugh.

Flora Schuyler and Grant were not far from the door now, the girl walking
close to her companion. In another moment they would have passed out of
sight into the shadow, but while Hetty felt her fingers trembling, the man
on watch, perhaps hearing their footsteps, turned round.

"Hallo!" he said. "It seems kind of cold. What can Miss Schuyler want with
opening the door? Is that Miss Torrance behind her?"

He moved forward a pace, apparently not looking where he was going, but
towards the door, and might have moved further, but that the maid swiftly
stretched out one foot, and a chair with the tray laid on it went over
with a crash.

"Now there's going to be trouble. See what you've done," she said.

The man stopped, staring at the wreck upon the floor.

"Well," he said, "I'm blamed if I touched the thing. What made it fall
over, any way?"

"Pick them up," the girl said sharply. "You don't want to make trouble for
me!"

He stooped, and Hetty gasped with relief as she saw him carefully scraping
some dainty from the floor, for just then one of the two figures slipped
away from the other, and there was a sound that might have been made by a
softly closing door. The cow-boy looked up quickly, and saw Miss Torrance
and Miss Schuyler standing close together, then stood up as they came
towards him. Hetty paused and surveyed the overturned crockery, and then,
though her heart was throbbing painfully, gave the man a glance of
ironic