ishment, beholding Beth.
"You--pardon me--you----"

"Good-morning," Beth replied faintly. "We called--are you Mr.
Lawrence?"

"At your service." Lawrence bowed. "I rarely expect--in my line of
work--my business. Miss--Miss----"

"Miss Kent," said Glenmore, interrupting. "And my name is Kent. I
suppose you're wise to Mr. Pratt."

Lawrence continued to bow.

"I'm very happy to--how are you, Pratt? How are you? Won't you have a
chair, Miss Kent?"

Pratt nodded and murmured a greeting. He was decidedly uneasy.

Beth always moved by impulse. It hastened her now to the issue. She
sat down and faced their man.

"Mr. Lawrence," she said, "I believe you ran the reservation line, not
long ago, and gave Mr. Bostwick and a friend of his the 'Laughing
Water' claim."

Lawrence looked alive.

"I certainly ran the line," he said. "Instructions came from--from
headquarters, to ascertain the precise limitations of the reservation.
The _results_ gave the 'Laughing Water' claim to its present owners, by
right of prior location, after the opening hour, as the claim was
included in the tract." He had uttered this speech before. It fell
very glibly from his tongue.

"Yes, we know all that--so far as it's true," said Beth with startling
candor, "but we know it isn't true at all, and you've got to confess
that you made some ridiculous blunder or else that you were bribed."

She had not intended to plump it out so bluntly, so baldly, but a
certain indignation in her breast had been rapidly increasing, and her
impulse was not to be stayed.

"Gee!" murmured Glen, "that's going some!"

Lawrence turned white, whether with anger or fright could not have been
determined.

"Miss Kent!" he said. "You--you're making a very serious----"

"Oh, I know!" she interrupted. "I expect you to deny it. But a great
deal of money--my money--has been used, and Mr. Pratt has run the
line--with myself and my brother--yesterday--so we know that you've
either been fooled or you've cheated."

Lawrence had risen. His face was scarlet.

"Upon my word!" he said. "Pratt, you and your friend I can order from
the office! The lady----"

"You can't order anything!--not a thing!" said Beth. "Glen! Mr.
Pratt!--you've got to stay and help! I know the truth--and it's got to
be confessed! Mr. Van Buren----"

"I can leave myself, since you insist upon remaining," interrupted
Lawrence, taking his hat and striding towards the door, in a