e, in reasonable self-defense, prevent himself from
loving her if he could."

But surely Brian Kent had every reason to know that Betty Jo did not at
all regard him as a criminal. Betty Jo, as Auntie Sue, recognized only
the re-created Brian Kent. If that were all, they need only wait for the
restitution which was so sure to come through his book. And Brian Kent
himself, through Auntie Sue's teaching and through his work, had come
to recognize only his real self, and not the creature of circumstances
which the river had brought to the little log house. Betty Jo felt sure
that there was more than this that was forcing the man to defend himself
against his love for her. Thus she was driven to the conclusion that
there was something in Brian Kent's history that he had not made
known to her,--a something that denied him the right to love her, and
that,--reasoned poor Betty Jo in the darkness of her room,--could only
be a woman,--a woman to whom he was bound, not by love indeed,--Betty Jo
could not believe that,--but by ties of honor and of the law.

And very clearly Betty Jo reasoned, too, that Brian's attitude toward
her evidenced unmistakably his high sense of honor. The very fact
that he had so persistently--in all their companionship, in their most
intimate moments together even--held this invisible and, to her, unknown
barrier between them, convinced her beyond a doubt of the essential
integrity of his character, and compelled her admiration and confidence.

"That is exactly it, Betty Jo," she told herself sadly; "you love him
because he tries so hard to keep himself from loving you."

And thus Betty Jo proved the correctness of Auntie Sue's loving estimate
of her character and justified the dear old teacher's faith in the
sterling quality of her womanhood.

Face to face with herself, fairly and squarely, the girl accepted the
truth of the situation for Brian and for herself, and determined her
course. She must go away,--she must go at once.

She wished that she had not returned to the log house by the river.
She had never fully admitted to herself the truth of her feeling toward
Brian until Judy had so unexpectedly precipitated the crisis; but, she
knew, now, that Judy was right, and that the real reason for her return
was her love for him. She knew, as well, that her very love,--which,
once fully admitted and recognized by her, demanded with all the
strength of her young womanhood the nearness and companionship