had implored him to keep silent and he was determined to
obey. He was rigidly resolved to offer no plea for the future; this was
the granddaughter--presumably the heiress of Echford Flagg, to be taken
into her own after this service she had rendered. A Latisan of the
broken Latisans had no right to lift his eyes to her!

If there had been a twinkle of hope for his comfort in her attitude of
reliance on him after he had arrived at Skulltree, there was none at
that moment, for she had become distinctly dignified and distant. He
swung back to that bitter conclusion which he had made a part of his
convictions when he had pondered on the matter in his little room in New
York--her frantically pledged affection had been only a part of her
campaign of sacrifice. He was not blaming her for the pretense--he was
not calling it deceit. She had fought for her own with such weapons as
she could command in a time of stress.

He followed her meekly when she hurried down from the cliff.

On the path which led back to the Flagg camp a breathless cookee met
them. "A team is here from Adonia, miss. It's the big bays--Mr. Flagg's
horses."

Instinctively she turned to Ward, making him her prop as she had done
previously on that day.

"I've been expecting it," he told her. "It's just what your grandfather
would do after he got word that Craig had gone through Adonia with his
roughnecks. Mr. Flagg wouldn't leave you here to face what was
threatened."

"I didn't tell my grandfather who I was. Dick promised to keep the
secret," she faltered.

"Remember! Words have wings up in this region! I explained to you once,
Miss Kennard, and you know what happened when I let loose that flock of
them at Adonia--like a fool. I don't dare to think about it!"

He paced away from her; then he returned, calm again. "Mr. Flagg must
have heard--he would keep in touch with what has been going on up
here--and after he knew, it would be his style to let you go ahead and
win out. He would understand what it is you're trying to do. His sending
that team, now that he is afraid of danger, proves that he knows."

When she ran on ahead Latisan did not try to keep up with her; he was
once again the drive boss of Flagg's crew, a hired man; he had no excuse
for meddling in the family affairs of his employers, he reflected, and
in his new humility he was avoiding anything which might savor of
inquisitive surveillance.

The man who had put the horses to the jumper