eful as to
particulars--"out in the barn to sleep," he said, but Polly shook her
head.

"No, keep him where you can watch 'im," she cautioned. "There'll be no
sleeping for me while this unchristian business is afoot. Peter, what
do you suppose the creature eats?"

"I ain't studying about that"--Peter shook with nervous laughter--"but
I'm going to chain Ginger up. I've heard these Chinese-ers lean to
animals."

"Nonsense, brother! But do you suppose the young woman what's on her
way here is a female Chinese?"

"The Lord knows!" Peter bristled. "I wish Northrup would fetch up and
handle these items of his. My God! Polly, we have been real soft
toward this young feller. Appearances and our dumb feelings about
folks may have let us all in for some terrible results. Maclin's
keener than us, perhaps."

"Now, brother"--Polly was bustling around--"this is no time to set my
nerves on edge. Here we be; here all this mess is. We best hold
tight."

So Peter and Polly "held tight" while inwardly they feared that King's
Forest was in deadly peril and that they had let the unsuspecting
people in for who could tell--what?

About five o'clock Kathryn came upon the scene. Her late encounter had
left her careless as to her physical appearance; she was a bit
bedraggled and her low shoes and silk hose--a great deal of the latter
showing--were evidences against her respectability.

"I'm Mr. Northrup's fiancee," she explained, and sank into a chair by
the hearth.

Aunt Polly did not know what she meant, but in that she belonged to
Northrup, she must be recognized, and plainly she was not Chinese!

Peter fixed his little, sparkling eyes on his guest and his hair rose
an inch while his face reddened.

"Perhaps you better go to your room," he suggested as he might to a
naughty child. He wanted to get the girl out of his sight and he hated
to see Polly waiting upon her. Kathryn detected the tone and it roused
her. No man ever made an escape from Kathryn when he used that note!
Her eyes filled with tears; her lips quivered.

"Mr. Northrup's mother is dying," she faltered; a shade more or less
did not count now--"help me to be brave and calm for his sake. Please
be my friend as you have been his!"

This was a wild guess but it served its purpose. Peter felt like a
brute and Aunt Polly was all a-tremble.

"Dear me!" she said, hovering over the girl, "somehow we never thought
about Brace's folks and all that. Just you come upstair