elter under the roof of
the Choctaw Chief, because of its repute, sees he has reached a haven of
safety.

The volunteered confessions of Borlasse--the tale of his hostility to
Clancy, and its cause--inspire him with confidence about any revelations
he may make in return. Beyond all doubt his new acquaintance stands in
mud, deep as himself. Without further hesitation, he says--"I _am_
Richard Darke."

"All right!" is the rejoinder. "And now, Mr Darke, let me tell you, I
like your manly way of answerin' the question I've put ye. Same time, I
may as well remark, 'twould 'a been all one if ye'd sayed _no_! This
child hain't been hidin' half o' his life, 'count o' some little
mistakes made at the beginnin' of it, not to know when a man's got into
a sim'lar fix. First day you showed your face inside the Choctaw Chief
I seed thar war something amiss; tho', in course, I couldn't gie the
thing a name, much less know 'thar that ugly word which begins with a M.
This evenin', I acknowledge, I war a bit put out--seein' you round thar
by the planter's, spyin' after one of them Armstrong girls; which of
them I needn't say."

Darke starts, saying mechanically, "You saw me?"

"In coorse I did--bein' there myself, on a like lay."

"Well?" interrogates the other, feigning coolness.

"Well; that, as I've said, some leetle bamboozled me. From your looks
and ways since you first came hyar, I guessed that the something wrong
must be different from a love-scrape. Sartint, a man stayin' at the
Choctaw Chief, and sporting the cheap rig as you've got on, wan't likely
to be aspirin' to sech dainty damsels as them. You'll give in,
yourself, it looked a leetle queer; didn't it?"

"I don't know that it did," is the reply, pronounced doggedly, and in an
assumed tone of devil-may-care-ishness.

"You don't! Well, I thought so, up to the time o' gettin' back to the
tavern hyar--not many minutes afore my meetin' and askin' you to jine us
in drinks. If you've any curiosity to know what changed my mind, I'll
tell ye."

"What?" asks Darke, scarcely reflecting on his words.

"That ere newspaper you war readin' when I gave you the invite. I read
it _afore_ you did, and had ciphered out the whole thing. Puttin' six
and six thegither, I could easy make the dozen. The same bein', that
one of the young ladies stayin' at the hotel is the Miss Helen Armstrong
spoke of in the paper; and the man I observed watchin' her is Richard
Darke, who