all
my mother's friends, and my mother was always around looking as though
she was at last reaping the reward for her sacrifice. I suppose any
mother would have been the same. But you can see the hole it put me
in. I hated it, but I couldn't bear to offend her. I wanted to go to
work at something; I tried a week in my father's office, but I couldn't
stand the confinement indoors. So I ran away--it was my only escape.
I headed for the mountains--somewhere where no one would know me. At
Burlington I saw Judson's ad. and this idea came to me. I'd hire out
to him for awhile and get a chance to work out some theories that were
pets of mine--before the war. I shipped my car back to Merrycliffe and
wrote to mother of my plan, begging her to tell no one. I picked the
name Peter Hyde at random--out of the hotel telephone book."

"I shall never, never think of you as anything but Peter Hyde," broke
in Nancy.

"I don't ever want you to," assured Barry.

Nancy's eyes rested for a moment on the outline of the Judson barns.
"Are you going to help Judson with his harvesting?" she asked, suddenly.

"Sure thing I am--I wouldn't think of leaving him, just now. Nancy,
will you listen to a plan I've been making? I've got some money--it
was my grandmother's--and I want to buy up some farms in different
parts of the state, the kind of farms that are sort of run down at the
heels, and experiment with them and see what can be done with them, as
a sort of outright demonstration for other farmers. Do you think that
worth while?" he asked so anxiously and with such humility that Nancy
colored.

"Oh, Peter--why ask me? It sounds pleasant and--and like you." She
suddenly seemed to see him going on with this new work--without her.
The thought brought a wistful look into her face. Barry Wallace read
it there.

"Nancy, I'm afraid I sort of made a mess of things--the other night.
When you told me you were going away--I lost my head. Tell me--you
said you'd always care more for your work than for anything or anyone
else--couldn't you share your work? Like I'd like to share mine?"

Nancy lifted a protesting hand that Barry promptly imprisoned in both
of his own.

"Oh, Peter, don't repeat all that--silly stuff--I said."

"Didn't you mean it, Nancy?" Barry cried.

"I meant it--then. But that was--young." Barry could not know that
she was using the master's words. "I know--I think--that--that----"

"What, Nancy?"

Nancy l