gently as ever, but very firmly, "I would rather not meet him."

Lyle looked troubled. "Jack," she said earnestly, "you have always
appeared rather peculiar regarding Mr. Houston; tell me candidly, are
you his friend, or his enemy?"

"Why!" he exclaimed in surprise, stopping before her, and looking into
her earnest face, with a smile, "How should I be either? Am I not
perfectly neutral? Are we not strangers?"

Lyle shook her head decidedly. "I cannot say whether or not you are
strangers, but you are not neutral toward him; I have seen all along
that you have some strong feeling toward him, but whether of kindness
or enmity, I cannot tell, but I must know."

"Why must you know?" he asked, resuming his walk.

"Perhaps I can tell you later," she replied, "but, as you are my
friend, I must know whether you are, or will be, his friend, or his
enemy."

For some moments Jack was silent, and when he spoke his voice was full
of some strong emotion:

"My dear child, I have no reason for any enmity toward him, and if he
is the true, honorable man that you think he is, God knows I would
stand by him, even to death itself."

"Then, if he was in difficulty or danger, and needed help, you would
help him, would you not?" asked Lyle eagerly.

"My child," he answered gravely, "you must explain yourself; you
certainly can trust me. I promise you this, I will not harm him or
betray him, whatever may be the difficulty."

"You are sure there is no one to hear us?"

"I will make sure," he answered briefly, and bidding the collie guard
the outside door, he then closed the door between the two rooms, and
sat down near Lyle.

"You remember," she began, "the evening you passed our house?" He
nodded. "Well, among the strangers there that night, were an English
expert, Mr. Lindlay, and a Mr. Van Dorn, who, they said, was an
inventor of some mining machinery. A little while after you passed, I
took a book and went out by the lake to read, sitting down behind a
thick group of small evergreens. I read as long as I could see, and
then sat for some time, thinking, and watching the reflection of the
moon in the lake. Then the moon went behind that tall peak, you know,
across the lake, and it was quite dark; but I remained there thinking
so deeply that, although for a few minutes I heard low voices talking,
I paid no attention to it, supposing it was simply some people going
up the mountain, till suddenly I was aroused by Mr. Houston's voi