lost
the sense of direction, and when the canyon trail came out upon broad
uplands and became a country road with bordering ranches watered by
irrigation canals, into which the mountain torrent was diverted, there
were no recognizable landmarks to tell him whither his captors were
leading him.

As he was able to determine by holding his watch, face up, to the
moonlight, it was nearly midnight when the silent cavalcade of four
turned aside from the main road into an avenue of spreading cottonwood
trees. At its head the avenue became a circular driveway; and fronting
the driveway a stately house, with a massive Georgian facade and
colonnaded portico, flung its shadow across the white gravel of the
carriage approach.

There were lights in one wing of the house, and another appeared behind
the fan-light in the entrance-hall when the leader of the three
highbinders had tramped up the steps and touched the bell-push. Blount
had a fleeting glimpse of a black head with a fringe of snowy wool when
the door was opened, but he did not hear what was said. After the negro
serving-man disappeared there was a little wait. At the end of the
interval the door was opened wide, and Blount had a gruff order to
dismount.

What he saw when he stood on the door-mat beside his captor merely added
mystery to mystery. Just within the luxuriously furnished hall, where
the light of the softly shaded hall lantern served to heighten the
artistic effect of her red house-gown, stood a woman--a lady, and
evidently the mistress of the Georgian mansion. She was small and dark,
with brown eyes that were almost childlike in their winsomeness; a woman
who might be twenty, or thirty, or any age between. Beautiful she was
not, Blount decided, comparing her instantly, as he did all women, with
Patricia Anners; but--He was not given time to add the qualifying phrase
or to prepare himself for what was coming.

"What is it, Barto?" the little lady asked, turning to the man with the
gun.

The reply was direct and straight to the purpose.

"Excuse _me_; but I jest wanted to ask if you know this here young
feller. He's been allowin' to me th't he is--"

"Of course," she said quickly, and stepping forward she gave her hand
and a welcome to the dazed one. "Please come in; we have been expecting
you." Then again to the man with the Winchester: "Thank you so much,
Barto, for showing the gentleman the way to Wartrace Hall."

It was all done so quietly that Blo