tulating you on your promotion," said he.

The Virginian consulted his watch. "It's only half afteh six," he
returned.

Trampas's sullenness deepened. "Any man is to be congratulated on
getting a rise, I expect."

This time the Virginian let him have it. "Cert'nly. And I ain't
forgetting how much I owe mine to you."

Trampas would have liked to let himself go. "I've not come here for any
forgiveness," he sneered.

"When did yu' feel yu' needed any?" The Virginian was impregnable.

Trampas seemed to feel how little he was going this way. He came out
straight now. "Oh, I haven't any Judge behind me, I know. I heard you'd
be paying the boys this morning, and I've come for my time."

"You're thinking of leaving us?" asked the new foreman. "What's your
dissatisfaction?"

"Oh, I'm not needing anybody back of me. I'll get along by myself." It
was thus he revealed his expectation of being dismissed by his enemy.

This would have knocked any meditated generosity out of my heart. But
I was not the Virginian. He shifted his legs, leaned back a little, and
laughed. "Go back to your job, Trampas, if that's all your complaint.
You're right about me being in luck. But maybe there's two of us in
luck."

It was this that Scipio had preferred me to see with my own eyes. The
fight was between man and man no longer. The case could not be one of
forgiveness; but the Virginian would not use his official position to
crush his subordinate.

Trampas departed with something muttered that I did not hear, and the
Virginian closed intimate conversation by saying, "You'll be late for
breakfast." With that he also took himself away.

The ladies were inclined to be scandalized, but not the Judge. When my
whole story was done, he brought his fist down on the table, and not
lightly this time. "I'd make him lieutenant general if the ranch offered
that position!" he declared.

Miss Molly Wood said nothing at the time. But in the afternoon, by her
wish, she went fishing, with the Virginian deputed to escort her. I
rode with them, for a while. I was not going to continue a third in that
party; the Virginian was too becomingly dressed, and I saw KENILWORTH
peeping out of his pocket. I meant to be fishing by myself when that
volume was returned.

But Miss Wood talked with skilful openness as we rode. "I've heard all
about you and Dr. MacBride," she said. "How could you do it, when the
Judge places such confidence in you?"

He looked please