intimated that Mr. Wagstaff would be compelled to make ample
reparation for his ruffianly act, did not tend to soothe her.

Bill failed to appear at luncheon. During the afternoon an uncommon
number other acquaintances dropped in. In the tactful manner of their
kind they buzzed with the one absorbing topic. Some were vastly
amused. Some were sympathetic. One and all they were consumed with
curiosity for detailed inside information on the Free Gold squabble.
One note rang consistently in their gossipy song: The Free Gold Company
was going to lose a pot of money in some manner, as a consequence of
the affair. Mr. Wagstaff had put some surprising sort of spoke in the
company's wheel. They had that from their husbands who trafficked on
Broad Street. By what power he had accomplished this remained a
mystery to the ladies. Singly and collectively they drove Hazel to the
verge of distraction. When the house was at last clear of them she
could have wept. Through no fault of her own she had given Granville
another choice morsel to roll under its gossipy tongue.

So that when six o'clock brought Bill home, she was coldly disapproving
of him and his affairs in their entirety, and at no pains to hide her
feelings. He followed her into the living-room when the uncomfortable
meal--uncomfortable by reason of the surcharged atmosphere--was at an
end.

"Let's get down to bed rock, Hazel," he said gently. "Doesn't it seem
rather foolish to let a bundle of outside troubles set up so much
friction between us two? I don't want to stir anything up; I don't
want to quarrel. But I can't stand this coldness and reproach from
you. It's unjust, for one thing. And it's so unwise--if we value our
happiness as a thing worth making some effort to save."

"I don't care to discuss it at all," she flared up. "I've heard
nothing else all day but this miserable mining business and your
ruffianly method of settling a dispute. I'd rather not talk about it."

"But we must talk about it," he persisted patiently. "I've got to show
you how the thing stands, so that you can see for yourself where your
misunderstanding comes in. You can't get to the bottom of anything
without more or less talk."

"Talk to yourself, then," she retorted ungraciously. And with that she
ran out of the room.

But she had forgotten or underestimated the catlike quickness of her
man. He caught her in the doorway, and the grip of his fingers on her
arm brou