hey comes I ain't going to have Polly around my
place. That's straight. She'll get her marching orders P. D. Q."

So Polly was next for betrayal.

"Yes." Brooke became very confidential. "What I require at Forest Lodge
is a real society hostess, a lady. Yes, that's what's the matter--a
lady. Now that's what I come about. Ever since I seen you Mrs., I mean
madam, I mean--"

He became quite diffident, leaving the doorway, leaning over the
counter.

"Would you--" he began, "would you be prepared, ma'am, to--"

My way was clear, and I ran.

It often seemed to me that Jesse's life and mine were veiled in some
strange glamour of a directed fate. Little by little, in ever so slow
degrees this mist was lifting, and I began to feel that soon the air
would clear, giving us back to blessed commonplace. Through no act of
mine, but by Brooke's incompetence, the prosperous business of Spite
House had been brought to ruin.[A] Polly was drinking herself to death,
and presently would find herself betrayed by that same callous treachery
which had wrought such havoc in my dear man's life and mine.

[Footnote A: Note: Jesse says I ruined Polly, which just shows how
_prejudiced_ men are, even at the best.]

Billy had held these last few weeks that Polly's funds were gone, that
she was penniless. He begged me to let him destroy the great sign-board
across the road to Spite House. Failure to renew that would indeed be
conclusive proof of the woman's penury, but the meanness of such a test
revolted me, for one does not strike a fallen adversary.

Were there any funds to promote black pines and mosquitoes as an
attraction to millionaires? Brooke in his folly had divulged that
foolish scheme, sufficient to complete the ruin of a poor wretched
woman, before he abandoned her interests to seek his own. Was it true? I
went straight to Captain Taylor.

For a week past my refractory patient had insisted upon living entirely
upon cheese, a seemingly fatal diet, which to confess the truth had done
him a world of good. Save for the loss of his sight he was quite his
dear old self and glad of a gossip.

"Yes, Kate," he chuckled, "the murder's out at last. You see I'm not
exactly prosperous, and my retired pay is a drop in my bucket of debts.
And then our good friend Polly invested all her wealth in buying up the
mortgage on this ranch."

"But why?"

"For fun. For the pleasure of turning me out. She kindly granted me
permission to sleep in