d men were hardly safe from his furies of temper.

"Arise," said the master at length, and she could feel his battle to
control his voice. "You are forgiven, Elijah, because of your
courage--yet, beware! As for that old man whose words you repeated, I
shall consider him." He turned on his heel, and Ruth saw that his face
was iron.

_CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE_

From the gate of the patio Connor, watching all that time in a nightmare
of suspense, saw, first of all, the single figure of David come around
the trees, David alone and walking. But before that shock passed he saw
Glani at the heels of the master, and then, farther back, Ruth!

She had passed the gate and two-thirds of the battle was fought and won.
Yet all was not well, as he plainly saw. With long, swift steps David
came over the terrace, and finally paused as if his thoughts had stopped
him. He turned as Glani passed, and the girl came up to him; his
extended arm halted Abra and he stood looking up to the girl and
speaking. Only the faint murmur of his voice came unintelligibly to
Connor, but he recognized danger in it as clearly as in the hum of bees.
Suddenly the girl, answering, put out her hands as if in gesture of
surrender. Another pause--it was only a matter of a second or so, but it
was a space for life or death with Connor. In that interval he knew that
his scheme was made or ruined. What had the girl said? Perhaps that
mighty extended arm holding back Abra had frightened her, and with the
wind blowing his long black hair aside, David of Eden was a figure wild
enough to alarm her. Perhaps in fear of her life she had exposed the
whole plan. If so, it meant broken bones for Connor.

But now David turned again, and this time he was talking by the side of
Abra as they came up the hill. He talked with many gestures, and the
girl was laughing down to him.

"God bless her!" muttered Connor impulsively. "She's a true-blue one!"

He remembered his part in the nick of time as they came closer, and
David helped the girl down from the saddle and brought her forward. The
gambler drew himself up and made his face grave with disapproval. Now or
never he must prove to David that there was no shadow of a connection
between him and the girl. Yet he was by no means easy. There was
something forced and stereotyped in the smile of the girl that told him
she had been through a crucial test and was still near the breaking
point.

David presented them to one ano