h enough to sacrifice to their
ambition the mother who gave them birth, society would have been
placated or humbugged, and the voyage of their life might have been one
of unbroken smoothness.

When Rena came back unexpectedly at the behest of her dream, Frank
heard again the music of her voice, felt the joy of her presence and
the benison of her smile. There was, however, a subtle difference in
her bearing. Her words were not less kind, but they seemed to come
from a remoter source. She was kind, as the sun is warm or the rain
refreshing; she was especially kind to Frank, because he had been good
to her mother. If Frank felt the difference in her attitude, he
ascribed it to the fact that she had been white, and had taken on
something of the white attitude toward the negro; and Frank, with an
equal unconsciousness, clothed her with the attributes of the superior
race. Only her drop of black blood, he conceived, gave him the right
to feel toward her as he would never have felt without it; and if Rena
guessed her faithful devotee's secret, the same reason saved his
worship from presumption. A smile and a kind word were little enough
to pay for a life's devotion.

On the third day of Rena's presence in Patesville, Frank was driving up
Front Street in the early afternoon, when he nearly fell off his cart
in astonishment as he saw seated in Dr. Green's buggy, which was
standing in front of the Patesville Hotel, the young gentleman who had
won the prize at the tournament, and who, as he had learned, was to
marry Rena. Frank was quite certain that she did not know of Tryon's
presence in the town. Frank had been over to Mis' Molly's in the
morning, and had offered his services to the sick woman, who had
rapidly become convalescent upon her daughter's return. Mis' Molly had
spoken of some camphor that she needed. Frank had volunteered to get
it. Rena had thanked him, and had spoken of going to the drugstore
during the afternoon. It was her intention to leave Patesville on the
following day.

"Ef dat man sees her in dis town," said Frank to himself, "dere'll be
trouble. She don't know HE'S here, an' I'll bet he don't know SHE'S
here."

Then Frank was assailed by a very strong temptation. If, as he
surmised, the joint presence of the two lovers in Patesville was a mere
coincidence, a meeting between them would probably result in the
discovery of Rena's secret.

"If she's found out," argued the tempter, "she'll c