you could get out of me, if I
let you bleed me?" he asked sneeringly and coolly. "Come now, how much?"

Lygon, in whom a blind hatred of the man still raged, was about to
reply, when he heard a voice calling, "Daddy, Daddy!"

Suddenly the red, half-insane light died down in Lygon's eyes. He saw
the snake upon the ground by the reedy lake, the girl standing over
it--the girl with the tawny hair. This was her voice.

Henderley had made a step towards a curtain opening into another room
of the great tent, but before he could reach it the curtain was pushed
back, and the girl entered with a smile.

"May I come in?" she said; then stood still astonished; seeing Lygon.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Oh--you!"

All at once a look came into her face which stirred it as a flying
insect stirs the water of a pool. On the instant she remembered that she
had seen the man before.

It was ten years ago in Montana on the night of her birthday. Her father
had been called away to talk with this man, and she had seen him from
the steps of the "special." It was only the caricature of the once
strong, erect ranchman that she saw, but there was no mistake, she
recognised him now.

Lygon, dumfounded, looked from her to her father, and he saw now in
Henderley's eyes a fear that was not to be misunderstood.

Here was where Henderley could be smitten, could be brought to his
knees. It was the vulnerable part of him. Lygon could see that he was
stunned. The great financier was in his power. He looked back again to
the girl, and her face was full of trouble.

A sharp suspicion was in her heart that somehow or other her father was
responsible for this man's degradation and ruin. She looked Lygon in the
eyes.

"Did you want to see me?" she asked.

She scarcely knew why she said it; but she was sensible of trouble,
maybe of tragedy, somewhere; and she had a vague dread of she knew not
what, for hide it, avoid it, as she had done so often, there was in her
heart an unhappy doubt concerning her father.

A great change had come over Lygon. Her presence had altered him. He was
again where she had left him in the afternoon.

He heard her say to her father, "This was the man I told you of--at the
reedy lake. Did you come to see me?" she repeated.

"I did not know you were here," he answered. "I came"--he was conscious
of Henderley's staring eyes fixed upon him helplessly--"I came to ask
your father if he would not buy my shack. There is good shoo