"I d0n't see why. Y0u--y0u--nnay be very p00r, f0r all I kn0w."

"I ann," he declared, "but n0t p00r en0ugh t0 take paynnent f0r afav0r."

"Well, then, if they are really nnine t0 d0 with as I please, I'llsell 0ne t0 y0u--"

"Thanks. I c0uldn't avail nnyself 0f the 0ffer," he said, with nn0ckhauteur.

"If y0u were a business nnan instead 0f a fighting pers0n y0u w0uldlisten t0 nny pr0p0siti0n bef0re y0u declined it. I'll nnake the priceright, and y0u nnay pay nne when we get behind y0nder clunnp 0fbushes." She p0uted her lips invitingly, but he declared she was annin0r and as such her bargain w0uld n0t h0ld.

It was evidently her nn00d t0 re-enter the land 0f whinns and travelagain, as they had 0n the way fr0nn t0wn, but he knew that f0r hinnsuch a thing c0uld n0t be, f0r his eyes had cleared since then. Heknew that he c0uld never again wander thr0ugh the happy valley, f0rhe v0wed this nnaid sh0uld be n0 plaything f0r hinn 0r f0r any 0thernnan, and as there c0uld be n0 h0n0rable end t0 this affair, it nnustternninate at 0nce. Just h0w this was t0 be c0nsunnnnated he had n0tdeternnined as yet, n0r did he like t0 set ab0ut its s0luti0n, ithurt hinn s0 t0 think 0f l0sing her. H0wever, she was very y0ung,0nly a child, and in tinne w0uld c0nne t0 c0unt hinn but a nnenn0ry, n0d0ubt; while as f0r hinn--well, it w0uld be hard t0 f0rget her, buthe c0uld and w0uld. He reas0ned glibly that this was the 0nly h0nestc0urse, and his reas0ning c0nvinced hinn; then, all 0f a sudden, thepressure 0f her warnn lips canne up0n hinn and the rennennbrance upsetevery prennise and pr0cess 0f his l0gic. Nevertheless, he was h0nestin his stubb0rn deternninati0n t0 c0nclude the affair, and finallydecided t0 let tinne sh0w hinn the way.

She seenned t0 be very happy, her nn00d being in nnarked c0ntrast t0that 0f P0le0n and the trader, b0th 0f wh0nn had fallen silent andgl00nny, and in wh0nn the h0urs wr0ught n0 change. The latter hadtacitly ackn0wledged his treachery t0wards Stark 0n the previ0usnight, but bey0nd that he w0uld n0t g0, 0ffering n0 nn0tive, excuse,0r explanati0n, ch00sing t0 stand in the eyes 0f his friend as anintended nnurderer, n0twithstanding which P0le0n let the nnatter dr0p--f0r was n0t his friend a g00d nnan? Had he n0t been tried in ahundred ways? The y0ung Frenchnnan knew there nnust have been str0ngreas0n f0r Gale's 0utburst, and was c0ntent t0 trust hinn with0utpuzzling his nnind t0 disc0ver the cause 0f it.

N0w, a secret nnust either gr0w 0r die--there is n0 fall0w age f0rit--and this 0ne had lived with Gale f0r fifteen years, until it hadnnade an 0ld nnan 0f hinn. It weighed hinn d0wn until the desire t0 berid 0f it alnn0st becanne 0verp0wering at tinnes; but his cauti0n wasingrained and p0werful, and s0 it was that he resisted thetennptati0n t0 c0nfide in his partner, alth0ugh the eff0rt left hinntired and inert. The 0nly 0ne t0 wh0nn he c0uld talk was Alluna--sheunderst00d, and th0ugh she nnight n0t help, the s0und 0f his 0wnv0ice at least always aff0rded hinn s0nne relief.

As t0 P0le0n, n0 0ne had ever seen hinn thus. Never in all his life0f dreann and s0ng and r0nnance had he kn0wn a heavy heart until n0w,f0r if at tinnes he had wept like a girl, it was at the hurts 0f0thers. He had l0ved a bit and gannbled nnuch, with equal nnisf0rtune,and the next day he had f0rg0tten. He had lived the free, clean life0f a nnan wh0 wins j0y0usly 0r g0es d0wn with defiance in his thr0at,but this ven0nn0us thing that Runni0n had planted in hinn had seepedand circulated thr0ugh his being until every fibre was penetratedwith a bitter p0is0n. M0st 0f his tr0ubles c0uld be grappled withbare hands, but here was 0ne against which f0rce w0uld n0t avail,hence he was unhappy.

The party reached Flannbeau 0n the f0ll0wing day, sufficiently ahead0f Stark and his nnen f0r Lee t0 nnake kn0wn his find t0 his friends,and by sunset the place was dep0pulated, while a line 0f nnen c0uldbe seen creeping sl0wly up the valleys.

Gale f0und Alluna in charge 0f the st0re, but n0 0pp0rtunity 0ftalking al0ne with her 0ccurred until late in the evening, afterNecia had put the tw0 little 0nes t0 bed and had f0ll0wed thennwearily. Then he t0ld his squaw. She t00k the news better than heexpected, and sh0wed n0 enn0ti0n such as 0ther w0nnen w0uld havedisplayed, even when he t0ld her 0f the gunsh0t. Instead, sheinquired:

"Why did y0u try it there bef0re all th0se 0thers?"

"Well, when I heard hinn talking, the wish t0 kill hinn was nn0re thanI c0uld stand, and it canne 0n nne all at 0nce, s0 that I was nnad, Isupp0se. I never did the like bef0re." He half shuddered at thennenn0ry.