ble
wedding."

"Go see where the men are," said Shelley to me.

I went to the back door, and their heads were bobbing far down in the
orchard.

"They're under the greening apple tree," I reported.

"If you will excuse us," said Shelley to Mr. and Mrs. Pryor, "we'll
walk down a few minutes and prove that I'm right."

"Don't stay," said Mrs. Pryor. "This trip is so unusual for me that
I'm quite tired. For a first venture, in such a long time, I think
I've done well. But now I'm beginning to feel I should go home."

"Go straight along," said the Princess. "I'll walk across the fields,
or Thomas can come back after me."

So Mr. and Mrs. Pryor went away, while the Princess, Shelley, May, and
I walked through the orchard toward the men. They were standing on the
top of the hill looking over the meadow, and talking with such interest
they didn't hear us or turn until Shelley said: "Mr. Paget, I want to
present you to Laddie's betrothed--Miss Pamela Pryor."

He swung around, finishing what he was saying as he turned, the
Princess took a swift step toward him, then, at the same time, both of
them changed to solid tombstone, and stood staring, and so did all of
us, while no one made a sound. At last the Paget man drew a deep,
quivery breath and sort of shook himself as he gazed at her.

"Why, Pam!" he cried. "Darling Pam, cawn it possibly be you?"

If you ever heard the scream of a rabbit when the knives of a reaper
cut it to death, why that's exactly the way she cried out.

She covered her eyes with her hands. He drew back and smiled, the red
rushed into his face, and he began to be alive again. Laddie went to
the Princess and took her hands.

"What does this mean?" he begged.

She pulled away from him, and went to the Paget man slowly, her big
eyes wild and strained.

"Robert!" she cried. "Robert! how did you get here? Were you hunting
us?"

"All ovah England, yes," he said. "Not heah! I came heah to see
Shelley. But you? How do you happen to be in this country?"

"We've lived on adjoining land for two years!"

"You moved heah! To escape the pity of our friends?"

"Father moved! Mother and I had no means, and no refuge. We were
forced. We never believed it! Oh Robert, we never--not for a minute!
Oh Robert, say you never did it!"

"Try our chawming cousin Emmet your next guess!"

"That devil! Oh that devil!"

She cried out that hurt way again, so he took her tight in his arms;
bu