ring the last few
days had been encouraging, and his open revolt against the enchantress
had made me hopeful that her dominion over him was not so complete as
it had appeared. Viewed from any angle, the conduct of the Van Wyck
girl was reprehensible, and admitted of no excuse. She had overshot
the mark and had done her target no harm. However warm her friendship
with those of her guests who were at the cabin, the comments I had
heard convinced me that Jerry and I were not alone in our
condemnation. The attack seemed to savor of a lack of finesse,
surprising in a person of her cleverness, for had her bias not been so
great she should have known that as a gentleman, Jerry must resent so
palpable and designing an insult to a guest at Horsham Manor. Her
impudence still astounded me. Did she think herself so sure of Jerry
that she chose purposely to try him? Or had the point been reached in
their amatory relations where she was quite indifferent as to what
Jerry might do?

Smoothly as my plan had worked and happily (or unhappily) as Marcia's
pique and ill-humor had fitted into it, I could not believe that
Jerry's revolt had ended matters. Even if the boy had been willing to
end them (a thing of which I was not at all sure), Marcia Van Wyck was
not the kind of girl to retire on this ungraceful climax, and Jerry's
absence from her house on so important an occasion was nothing less
than a notice to those present that he and Marcia were no longer on
terms. I had had a sense of the girl's taste for conquest, and the
more I thought of her the surer I was that Jerry's championship of Una
Habberton would revive whatever remained of the lingering sparks of
Marcia's passion.

Jerry joined me in the study later in the morning and sat for awhile
reading the newspapers. He was silent, almost morose, and at last got
up and walked about the place. I feared for a moment that he had gone
to the garage with the intention of getting into his machine, and
this I knew meant nothing less than a ride posthaste, to Briar Hills.
But he came back presently in a more cheerful mood and after luncheon
suggested fishing, a proposal that I instantly fell in with. And so I
followed him up stream, my own humor being merely to carry the net,
watch him whip the pools and pray that his luck might be good, for a
full creel meant good humor and good humor, perhaps confidences.

Fortune favored. By the time we had gotten up the gorge, Jerry was in
high spirit