permeated by that soft murmuring sound of falling water. No moment of
waking life there at Lolomi Lodge, or perhaps of slumber hours, could
be wholly free of that sound. It vaguely tormented Carley, yet was not
uncomfortable. She went out upon the porch. The small alcove space
held a bed and a rustic chair. Above her the peeled poles of the roof
descended to within a few feet of her head. She had to lean over the
rail of the porch to look up. The green and red rock wall sheered
ponderously near. The waterfall showed first at the notch of a fissure,
where the cliff split; and down over smooth places the water gleamed,
to narrow in a crack with little drops, and suddenly to leap into a thin
white sheet.

Out from the porch the view was restricted to glimpses between the
pines, and beyond to the opposite wall of the canyon. How shut-in, how
walled in this home!

"In summer it might be good to spend a couple of weeks here,"
soliloquized Carley. "But to live here? Heavens! A person might as well
be buried."

Heavy footsteps upon the porch below accompanied by a man's voice
quickened Carley's pulse. Did they belong to Glenn? After a strained
second she decided not. Nevertheless, the acceleration of her blood and
an unwonted glow of excitement, long a stranger to her, persisted as she
left the porch and entered the boarded hall. How gray and barn-like this
upper part of the house! From the head of the stairway, however, the big
living room presented a cheerful contrast. There were warm colors, some
comfortable rockers, a lamp that shed a bright light, and an open fire
which alone would have dispelled the raw gloom of the day.

A large man in corduroys and top boots advanced to meet Carley. He had a
clean-shaven face that might have been hard and stern but for his smile,
and one look into his eyes revealed their resemblance to Flo's.

"I'm Tom Hutter, an' I'm shore glad to welcome you to Lolomi, Miss
Carley," he said. His voice was deep and slow. There were ease and force
in his presence, and the grip he gave Carley's hand was that of a
man who made no distinction in hand-shaking. Carley, quick in her
perceptions, instantly liked him and sensed in him a strong personality.
She greeted him in turn and expressed her thanks for his goodness to
Glenn. Naturally Carley expected him to say something about her fiance,
but he did not.

"Well, Miss Carley, if you don't mind, I'll say you're prettier than
your picture," said Hutte