nd his own lips tightened.

The banker coughed before he spoke. "Wasn't that a rather abrupt
leave-taking?"

"Yes--rather," said Corrigan, dryly. "You didn't hear him walking about
during the night?"

"No."

"You're rather a heavy sleeper, eh? There is only a thin board partition
between this building and the courthouse."

"He must have left after daylight. Of course, any noise he might have made
after that I wouldn't have noticed."

"No, of course not," said Corrigan, passionlessly. "Well--he's gone." He
seemed to have dismissed the matter from his mind and Braman sighed with
relief. But he watched Corrigan narrowly during the remainder of the time
he stayed in the office, and when he went out, Braman shook a vindictive
fist at his back.

"Worry, damn you!" he sneered. "I don't know what was in Judge Lindman's
mind, but I hope he never comes back! That will help to repay you for that
knockdown!"

Corrigan went over to the _Castle_ and ate supper. He was preoccupied and
deliberate, for he was trying to weave a complete fabric out of the
threads of Braman's visits to Hester Harvey; Hester's ride westward, and
Judge Lindman's abrupt departure. He had a feeling that they were in some
way connected.

At a little after seven he finished his meal, went upstairs and knocked at
the door of Hester Harvey's room. He stepped inside when she opened the
door, and stood, both hands in the pockets of his trousers, looking at her
with a smile of repressed malignance.

"Nice night for a ride, wasn't it?" he said, his lips parting a very
little to allow the words to filter through.

The woman flashed a quick, inquiring look at him, saw the passion in his
eyes, the gleam of malevolent antagonism, and she set herself against it.
For her talk with Trevison last night had convinced her of the futility of
hope. She had gone out of his life as a commonplace incident slips into
the oblivion of yesteryear. Worse--he had refused to recall it. It hurt
her, this knowledge--his rebuff. It had aroused cold, wanton passions in
her--she had become a woman who did not care. She met Corrigan's gaze with
a look of defiant mockery.

"Swell. I enjoyed every minute of it. Won't you sit down?"

He held himself back, grinning coldly, for the woman's look had goaded him
to fury.

"No," he said; "I'll stand. I won't be here a minute. You saw Trevison
last night, eh? You warned him that I was going to have Carson arrested."
He had hazarded this