but he silenced her with a gesture, and after that she sat
and watched in quiet the singular play of varying expressions across his
face. Grief, rage, tenderness, murderous hate--they followed like a
puppet play.

What was Donnegan to him? And then there was a tremor of fear. Would the
three suspect when they reached the shack by the ford and no Donnegan
came to them? The moments stole on. Then the soft beat of a galloping
horse in the sand. The horse stopped. Presently they saw Joe Rix and
Harry Masters pass in front of the window. And they looked as though a
cyclone had caught them up, juggled them a dizzy distance in the air,
and then flung them down carelessly upon bruising rocks. Their hats were
gone; and the clothes of burly Harry Masters were literally torn from
his back. Joe Rix was evidently far more terribly hurt, for he leaned on
the arm of Masters and they came on together, staggering.

"They've done the business!" exclaimed Lord Nick. "And now, curse them,
I'll do theirs!"

But the girl could not speak. A black haze crossed before her eyes. Had
Donnegan gone out madly to fight the three men in spite of her warning?

The door opened. They stood in the doorway, and if they had seemed a
horrible sight passing the window, they were a deadly picture at close
range. And opposite them stood Lord Nick; in spite of their wounds there
was murder in his face and his revolver was out.

"You've met him? You've met Donnegan?" he asked angrily.

Masters literally carried Joe Rix to a chair and placed him in it. He
had been shot through both shoulders, and though tight bandages had
stanched the wound he was still in agony. Then Masters raised his head.

"We've met him," he said.

"What happened?"

But Masters, in spite of the naked gun in the hand of Lord Nick, was
looking straight at Nelly Lebrun.

"We fought him."

"Then say your prayers, Masters."

"Say prayers for the Pedlar, you fool," said Masters bitterly. "He's
dead, and Donnegan's still living!"

There was a faint cry from Nelly Lebrun. She sank into her chair again.

"We've been double-crossed," said Masters, still looking at the girl. "I
was going down the gulch the way we planned. I come to the narrow place
where the cliffs almost touch, and right off the wall above me drops a
wildcat. I thought it was a cat at first. And then I found it was
Donnegan.

"The way he hit me from above knocked me off the horse. Then we hit the
ground. I started f