but it was fortunate she retained
her composure whatever she may have felt, for Hetty was in a mood for any
rashness. Stretching out her hand, she drew the girl down beside her with
a forceful gentleness.

"Hetty," she said, "I think I know how such a man as Larry is would feel,
and you want him to be proud of you. Well, there are things that neither
he nor you could do, and you must listen to me quietly."

She reasoned with the girl for a while until Hetty shook the passion from
her.

"Of course you are right, Flo," she said, and her voice was even. "If he
could bear all that, I can be patient too. Larry has had ever so many hard
things to do, but it is only because it would not be fair to him I'm not
going to him now. Flo, you will not leave me until the trouble's
through?"

Miss Schuyler turned and kissed her, and then, rising quietly, went out of
the room. She had shown Hetty her duty to Larry, which she felt would be
more convincing just then than an exposition of what she owed her father,
and had reasons for desiring solitude to grapple with affairs of her own.
What she had done had cost her an effort, but Flora Schuyler was fond of
Hetty and recognized the obligation of the bond she was contracting when
she made a friend.

Some minutes had passed when Hetty rose and took down her writing-case
from a shelf. She could at least communicate with Larry, for the maid, who
had more than one admirer among the cow-boys, had found a means by which
letters could be conveyed; but the girl could not command her thoughts,
and written sympathy seemed so poor and cold a thing. Two letters were
written and flung into the stove, for Flora Schuyler's counsel was bearing
fruit; and she had commenced two more when there was a tapping at the
door. Hetty looked up with a little flash in her eyes, and swept the
papers into the writing-case as Clavering came in. Then she rose, and
stood looking at him very coldly.

It was an especially unfortunate moment for the man to approach her in,
and, though he did not know why it should be so, he recognized it; but
there were reasons that made any further procrastination distinctly
unadvisable.

"There is something I have been wanting to tell you for a long time,
Hetty," he said.

"It would be better for you to wait a little longer," the girl said
chillingly. "I don't feel inclined to listen to anything to-night."

"The trouble," said Clavering, who spoke the truth, "is that I can't. It