eary beasts to the grass, and Stonor marched his
prisoner up to Clare--there was no use trying to hedge with what had to
be gone through.

"Here is Imbrie," he said laconically.

The man moistened his dry lips, and mustered a kind of bravado. "Hello,
Clare!" he said flippantly.

"Do you recognize him?" asked Stonor--dreading her answer.

"No--I don't know--perhaps," she stammered. "I feel that I have seen him
before somewhere."

Imbrie's face underwent an extraordinary change. He stared at Clare
dumbfounded.

"You're sure," murmured Clare uncertainly to Stonor.

"Oh, yes, this is the Kakisas' White Medicine Man."

Imbrie turned sharply to Stonor. "What's the matter with her?" he
demanded.

"She's temporarily lost her memory."

"Lost her memory!" echoed Imbrie incredulously. He stared at Clare with
sharp, eager eyes that transfixed her like a spear. She turned away to
escape it. Imbrie drew a long breath, the ruddy colour returned to his
cheeks, the old impudent grin wreathed itself about his lips once more.

"Too bad!" he said, with a leer. "You don't recognize your hubby!"

Clare shrank back, and involuntarily flung an arm up over her face.

Stonor saw red. "Hold your tongue!" he cried, suddenly beside himself.

Imbrie cringed from the clenched fist. "Can't a man speak to his wife?"
he snarled.

"Speak to her with respect, or I'll smash you!"

"You daren't! You've got to treat me well. It's regulations."

"Damn the regulations! You mind what I tell you!"

Imbrie looked from one to another with insufferable malice. "Ah! So
that's the way the wind lies," he drawled.

Stonor turned on his heel and walked away, grinding his teeth in the
effort to get a grip on himself.

Imbrie was never one to forego such an advantage. He looked from one to
another with bright, spiteful eyes. When Stonor came back he said:

"You must excuse me if I gave you a turn. To tell the truth, a man
forgets how attractive his wife is. I'm sorry I had to turn up, old man.
Perhaps you didn't know that she had a Mrs. to her name. She took back
her maiden name, they told me."

"I knew it very well," said Stonor. "Since before we started to look for
you."

"Well, if you knew it, that's your look-out," said Imbrie. "You can't
say I didn't do my best to keep out of your way."

This was intolerable. Stonor suddenly bethought himself what to do. In a
low voice he bade Mary bring him the tracking-line. Imbrie, who stood
stroking