ent with itself.

He was enormously curious to know how she had reached Huddleston and
what her adventures had been on the way--matters as to which the suave
Governor was no doubt fully informed, though he showed no disposition to
disclose them.

For a gentleman, the guest of an inn, to lurk round the kitchen door
waiting for a chance to address a waitress is wholly undignified, but
Archie was doing this very thing the moment he could escape from the
Governor and Congdon. Mrs. Leary was upstairs preparing additional
rooms against the chance of further arrivals and Sally was alone in the
kitchen.

"Well, I've got the same old job," she remarked carelessly, as Archie
paused uncertainly on the threshold. "You're a pay guest here and I
can't let you swing a towel, so if you want to talk take a chair on the
side lines."

Sally was as handsome as ever; he had not been mistaken in thinking her
a very handsome and attractive girl with a distinct charm. It seemed
aeons ago that he had kissed her; in fact it was almost unbelievable that
he had ever kissed so radiant a being. She received him as an old
friend, without a trace of embarrassment. Her ease put him at serious
disadvantage. He was at a loss to know how to impress upon her the
heinousness of the deceit she had practised upon him.

"Sally," he began in a tone that he meant to be sternly paternal, "I
hope you realize that you treated me very shabbily up there at your
father's. You not only behaved disgracefully, but you threw away your
life, and the bright promise of your future. I was very stupid to fall
into your trap. If things go wrong with you I shall always blame myself.
And I don't see any chance for happiness for you unless you change your
ways."

She deliberately concluded the drying of a plate, put it down, and threw
the towel aside.

"Look here," she began, folding her arms and walking slowly toward him;
"I'm not the worst girl in the world and I'm far from being the best. I
lied to you and it was a nasty trick; but I had to get away from that
farm; I simply couldn't stand it any longer. And I'd worried a lot about
being the daughter of a crook; I honestly had. I always knew it would
come out in me some way, and I thought the sooner the better. I just had
to do some rotten thing to satisfy myself as to how it feels. You can
understand that, can't you?"

"I think I can, Sally," he stammered. "But--"

"There's no butting about it! I just had to try it