e?"

"He desires no bail, Mrs. Stannard; jail is preferable to Fort Russell
so far as his treatment is concerned," he said, indignantly. "You seem
to be the only friend he has."

Mrs. Stannard flushed and lowered her voice.

"Did you explain to him, or rather did he ask why Mrs. Truscott could
not receive his letter?"

"What was there to explain? What was there to ask?" he broke forth in
wrath. "Only one explanation was possible, and of course I would not
speak of it. What could any one think but that she believed him guilty,
and would have no communication with him?"

That was a shot that told. Before Mrs. Stannard could reply there was a
rustle of skirts and a stifled sob within the hall-way, a rush of light
footsteps up the stairs, but the door opened and Marion Sanford
appeared. Blake started to see how white and wan and sad she looked, but
she came straight to him.

"Good-morning, Mr. Blake; we were coming out to see you as you spoke,
Mrs. Truscott and I. We do not wonder that you and Mr. Ray should feel
as you do, but that was all a piteous mistake about that letter last
night." She held forth her soft white hand. "Shake hands, Mr. Blake. It
wasn't at all what you thought; it was a very, very different reason,
and he will forgive when he knows. You brought a note from him last
night. Will you take this to him from me?"

"Let me run in and see Mrs. Truscott a moment," said Mrs. Stannard at
this juncture, and hurried into the hall, leaving them alone on the
piazza.

Blake noted the dark circles under her pleading eyes; he saw plainly the
evidences of anxiety and sorrow; he could not but see that, despite the
resolution of her words and manner, her voice was tremulous, and the
brave eyes that looked unflinchingly into his were filling with tears
she could not repress. He recalled all her enthusiasm in that still
uncompleted purchase of Dandy, in her munificence to Hogan. He knew well
that no matter how he might have misjudged Mrs. Truscott's motives he
had no right or reason, whatever, in letting himself think that this
brave, glorious, loyal girl could have been shaken one instant in her
faith in his friend. Why, even Ray had checked him sternly when, during
the night, he had once burst forth in an impetuous tirade against the
worthlessness of a woman's faith, and now he could have kicked himself
had it been anatomically possible even for his marvellous length and
loose-jointedness of leg. In default there