o be told the truth."

"If only you would trust me!" he cried from his heart. "From the first I
have told you all I could, and only asked you to believe that I was
acting for the best in all the rest. That I can say: according to my
lights I am still acting for the best. I may have done wrong legally,
but morally I have not. I have simply sheltered and shielded a fellow
creature who has already suffered out of all proportion to his fault;
but I admit that I have done the thing thoroughly. Yes, I'll be frank
with you there. I gave him a start last night on my own horse, as indeed
you know. I laid a false scent first; then I arranged this muster simply
and solely to destroy the real scent. I don't know that it was
necessary; but I do know that neither the police nor anybody else will
ever get on his tracks in Big Bushy; there has been too much stock over
the same ground since."

There was a grim sort of triumph in his tone, which Moya came near to
sharing in her heart. She felt that she could and would share it, if
only he would tell her all.

"Why keep him in Big Bushy?" she quietly inquired.

"Keep him there?" reiterated Rigden. "Who's doing so, Moya?"

"I don't know; but he was there this morning."

"This morning?"

"Yes, in the hut. I saw him."

"You saw him in the hut? The fool!" cried Rigden. "So he let you see
him! Did you speak to him?"

"No, thank you," said Moya, with unaffected disgust. "I was riding up to
see whether there was any water at the hut. I turned my horse straight
round, and did without."

"And didn't Ives see him?"

"No, he was with the sheep; when I joined him and said I could see no
tank, which was perfectly true, he wanted to go back for the water
himself."

She stopped abruptly.

"Well?"

"I wouldn't let him," said Moya. "That's all."

She rode on without glancing on either hand. Dusk had fallen; there were
no more shadows. The sun had set behind them; but Moya still felt the
glow she could not see; and it was in like manner that she was aware
also of Rigden's long gaze.

"The second time," he said softly at last.

"The second time what?"

This tone was sharp.

"That you've come to my rescue, Moya."

"That I've descended to your level, you mean!"

He caught her rein angrily.

"You've no right to say that without knowing!"

"Whose fault is it that I don't know?"

He loosed her rein and caught her hand instead, and held it against all
resistance. Yet Moya did not