a bureau with three or
four drawers had not been opened. Then she noticed her father's letters
lying in a bundle on the table, and put them back in the trunk from
which she had recently taken them. After this, she re-packed her
clothes, and sitting down again tried to remember all that had happened.

There was something puzzling about the adventure. To begin with, she
could not see why the man had come to her room and what he expected to
get. A clever thief would have gone to Farnam's office. Then she thought
he was not a coward; he had given way because he was cool enough to see
that he was in her power and resistance would lead to his getting shot.
Yet he had seemed to shrink when he heard her voice. She reflected with
faint amusement that her voice was not harsh, and she had studied its
control as part of her training when she began to teach. The little
tricks of tone and gesture one used to overawe young girls would not
frighten a man. For all that, when she first spoke there was a hint of
fear in his furtive eyes.

Agatha let this go, and pondered her own feelings and the part she had
played. She had, of course, been frightened, but had preserved her
judgment and seen that she could control the situation so long as she
kept cool. The man had not a pistol, and she could have fired three or
four shots before he could seize her; but he might have tried to seize
her had she not shown that she was ready to shoot. It looked as if she
had the nerve and confidence to face a crisis, which was satisfactory,
since she would need these qualities when she traveled through the
wilds. She had, however, long trained herself for this object; in fact,
as far as possible, she made her life a preparation for the adventurous
journey. Then she remembered her brother's warning and wondered whether
it was justified. There was, perhaps, a danger of her dwelling too much
upon the lode. She must not let it possess her mind and make her deaf to
other claims. One ought to keep a proper balance. In the meantime, she
was tired, and feeling limp with the reaction from the strain. She got
up and shortly afterwards went to bed.

CHAPTER IX

AGATHA ASKS ADVICE

Agatha said nothing next morning about her adventure, although she heard
that the lame man had left the packing shed when his companions were
asleep and had not come back. Next day Farnam returned and in the
evening, when Mrs. Farnam was busy, she found an opportunity of talking