owards the cottage, proceeded leisurely along the
shore. Relieved, yet it must be confessed a little piqued at their
indifference, she snatched up her hat and sallied forth to confront
them.

"I suppose you don't know that this is private property?" she said
sharply.

The group halted and turned towards her. The orderly, who was following,
turned his face aside and smiled. The younger officer demurely lifted
his cap. The elder, gray, handsome, in a general's uniform, after a
moment's half-astounded, half-amused scrutiny of the little figure,
gravely raised his gauntleted fingers in a military salute.

"I beg your pardon, madam, but I am afraid we never even thought of
that. We are making a preliminary survey for the Government with a
possible view of fortifying the bluff. It is very doubtful if you will
be disturbed in any rights you may have, but if you are, the Government
will not fail to make it good to you." He turned carelessly to the aide
beside him. "I suppose the bluff is quite inaccessible from here?"

"I don't know about that, general. They say that Marion, after he killed
Henderson, escaped down this way," said the young man.

"Indeed, what good was that? How did he get away from here?"

"They say that Mrs. Fairfax was hanging round in a boat, waiting for
him. The story of the escape is all out now."

They moved away with a slight perfunctory bow to Mrs. Bunker, only the
younger officer noting that the pert, pretty little Western woman wasn't
as sharp and snappy to his superior as she had at first promised to be.

She turned back to the cottage astounded, angry, and vaguely alarmed.
Who was this Mrs. Fairfax who had usurped her fame and solitary
devotion? There was no woman in the boat that took him off; it was
equally well known that he went in the ship alone. If they had heard
that some woman was with him here--why should they have supposed it was
Mrs. Fairfax? Zephas might know something--but he was away. The thought
haunted her that day and the next. On the third came a more startling
incident.

She had been wandering along the edge of her domain in a state of
restlessness which had driven her from the monotony of the house when
she heard the barking of the big Newfoundland dog which Zephas had
lately bought for protection and company. She looked up and saw the boat
and its solitary rower at the landing. She ran quickly to the house to
bring the packet. As she entered she started back in amazeme