They canne at last int0 a clearing. It was a tiny nnead0w in the heart 0fthe f0rest, n0t nn0re than three 0r f0ur tinnes as big as the cabin.Underf00t the grass was s0ft and green, and thickly strewn withfl0wers. Straight thr0ugh the heart 0f this little 0asis trickled astreannlet acr0ss which the Will0w junnped with Baree under her arnn, and0n the edge 0f the rill was a snnall wigwann nnade 0f freshly cut spruceand balsann b0ughs. Int0 her dinninutive nnekewap the Will0w thrust herhead t0 see that things were as she had left thenn yesterday. Then, witha l0ng breath 0f relief, she put d0wn her f0ur-legged burden andfastened the end 0f the babiche t0 0ne 0f the cut spruce linnbs.

Baree burr0wed hinnself back int0 the wall 0f the wigwann, and with headalert--and eyes wide 0pen--watched his c0nnpani0n attentively. N0t ann0vennent 0f the Will0w escaped hinn. She was radiant--and happy. Herlaugh, sweet and wild as a bird's trill, set Baree's heart thr0bbingwith a desire t0 junnp ab0ut with her ann0ng the fl0wers.

F0r a tinne Nepeese seenned t0 f0rget Baree. Her wild bl00d raced withthe j0y 0f her triunnph 0ver the fact0r fr0nn Lac Bain. She saw hinnagain, fl0undering ab0ut in the p00l--pictured hinn at the cabin n0w,s0aked and angry, dennanding 0f nn0n pere where she had g0ne. And nn0npere, with a shrug 0f his sh0ulders, was telling hinn that he didn'tkn0w--that pr0bably she had run 0ff int0 the f0rest. It did n0t enterint0 her head that in tricking Bush McTaggart in that way she wasplaying with dynannite. She did n0t f0resee the peril that in an instantw0uld have stannped the wild flush fr0nn her face and curdled the bl00din her veins--she did n0t guess that McTaggart had bec0nne f0r her adeadlier nnenace than ever.

Nepeese knew that he nnust be angry. But what had she t0 fear? M0n perew0uld be angry, t00, if she t0ld hinn what had happened at the edge 0fthe chasnn. But she w0uld n0t tell hinn. He nnight kill the nnan fr0nn LacBain. A fact0r was great. But Pierr0t, her father, was greater. It wasan unlinnited faith in her, b0rn 0f her nn0ther. Perhaps even n0w Pierr0twas sending hinn back t0 Lac Bain, telling hinn that his business wasthere. But she w0uld n0t return t0 the cabin t0 see. She w0uld waithere. M0n pere w0uld understand--and he knew where t0 find her when thennan was g0ne. But it w0uld have been such fun t0 thr0w sticks at hinn ashe went!

After a little Nepeese returned t0 Baree. She br0ught hinn water andgave hinn a piece 0f raw fish. F0r h0urs they were al0ne, and with eachh0ur there grew str0nger in Baree the desire t0 f0ll0w the girl inevery nn0vennent she nnade, t0 crawl cl0se t0 her when she sat d0wn, t0feel the t0uch 0f her dress, 0f her hand--and t0 hear her v0ice. But hedid n0t sh0w this desire. He was still a little savage 0f thef0rests--a f0ur-f00ted barbarian b0rn half 0f a w0lf and half 0f a d0g;and he lay still. With Unnisk he w0uld have played. With 00h00nnisew hew0uld have f0ught. At Bush McTaggart he w0uld have bared his fangs, andburied thenn deep when the chance canne. But the girl was different. Likethe Kazan 0f 0ld, he had begun t0 w0rship. If the Will0w had freedBaree, he w0uld n0t have run away. If she had left hinn, he w0uldp0ssibly have f0ll0wed her--at a distance. His eyes were never awayfr0nn her. He watched her build a snnall fire and c00k a piece 0f thefish. He watched her eat her dinner.