topping? Holliwell's
friends are mine."

Pierre gave him the address of a small, downtown hotel, thanked him
again, and, standing in the hall, added, "If I'm wrong in the notion
that brought me to New York, I'll be goin' back again to my ranch, Mr.
Morena. I'm goin' back to ranchin' on the old homestead. I've got it
fixed up." He seemed to look through Jasper into an enormous distance.
Morena was almost uncannily aware of the long, long journey by which
this man's spirit had trodden, of the desert he faced ahead of him if
the search must fail. Was it wrong to warn Jane? Ought this man to be
given his chance? Surely here stood before him Jane's mate. Jasper
wished that he knew more of the history back of Pierre and the girl. A
man could do little but look out for his own interests, when he worked
in the dark. Which would be the better man for Jane?--this Jane so
trained, so educated, so far removed superficially from the
ungrammatical, bronzed, clumsily dressed, graceful visitor. In every
worldly respect, doubtless, Prosper Gael. Only--there were Pierre's
eyes and the soul looking out of them.

Jasper said good-bye half-absently.

An hour later he went to call on Jane.

He found her done up in an apron and a dust-cap cleaning house with
astonishing spirit. She and the Bridget, who had recently been
substituted for Mathilde, were merry. Bridget was sitting on the sill,
her upper half shut out, her round, brick-colored face laughing
through the pane she was polishing. Jane was up a ladder, dusting
books.

She came down to greet Morena, and he saw regretfully the sad change
in her face and bearing which his arrival caused. Bridget was sent to
the kitchen. Jane made apologies, and sitting on the ladder step she
looked up at him with the look of some one who expects a blow.

"What is it now, Mr. Morena? Have the lawyers begun to--"

He had purposely kept her in the dark, purposely neglected her, left
her to loneliness, in the hope of furthering the purposes of Prosper
Gael.

"I haven't come to discuss that, Jane. Soon I hope to have good news
for you. But to-day I've come to give you a hint--a warning, in
fact--to prepare you for what I am sure will be a shock."

"Yes?" She was flushed and breathing fast. Her fingers were busy with
the feather-duster on her knee and her eyes were still waiting.

"I had a visitor this morning--Pierre Landis, of Wyoming."

She rose, came to him, and clutched his arm. "Pierre? Pier