some perplexity.

"Jake. There's something up, and--hark!"

They stood listening. The foreman's voice was raised again. But now
Marbolt's broke in, sharp, incisive. And the words were plainly
audible.

"Keep your voice down," he said. "D'you want the girl to hear
everything? You were always a blunderer, Jake."

"Blunderer be ----" But he nevertheless lowered his tone, for the
listeners could distinguish nothing more.

"He's up to some devil's work," Tresler whispered, after making sure
they could hear no more. "Danny," he went on eagerly, "I must slip
into the hall and try and hear what's going on. I must be ready
to----Listen! He's cursing again. Wait here. Not a sound; not a word!
There's going to be trouble."

And his assertion seemed to have reason enough, for the rancher's
sharp tones were now mingling with the harsher note of the other, and
both had raised their voices again. Tresler waited for nothing now. He
tiptoed to the door and stood listening. Then he crept silently out
into the hall and stole along toward the blind man's office. He paused
as he drew near the open door, and glanced round for some hiding-place
whence he could see within. The hall was unlit, and only the faintest
light reached it from the office. There was a long, heavy overcoat
hanging on the opposite wall, almost directly in front of the door,
and he made for it, crossing the hall in the darkest part, and sidling
along in the shadow until he reached it. Here he drew it in front of
him, so that he only elongated its outline and yet obtained a full
view of the room.

Jake was not visible. And Tresler concluded that he was sitting in the
chair which he knew to be behind the door. But the blind man was
almost directly in front of him. He was seated beside the small
window table on which the lamp stood, a safety lamp, especially
reserved for his use on account of his blindness. His ruddy eyes were
staring in the direction in which Tresler believed Jake to be sitting,
and such was the effect of that intent stare that the watching man
drew well within his cover, as though he feared the sightless sockets
would penetrate his hiding-place.

But even from this vantage ground he found his purpose thwarted. Jake
was talking, but his voice was so low that it only reached him in a
thick growl which blurred his words into a hazy murmur. Therefore he
fixed his attention on the man facing him, watching, and seeking
information from his expression