For he had looked at her out of most grateful but rather incredulous eyes.
“When I can tell you the story I think you’ll understand. The thing that is worrying me still is that somebody came in when I had you in the yard, when I found I couldn’t wake you. I don’t know who it was, but he went out again almost at once. He didn’t see us, I’m sure, but I’d left my stick in there ———”
“Oh, don’t let that worry you for a minute.” She had recovered sufficiently to put contempt into her tone.
“I came at once for the doctor,” he went on, “and we had to tell Mac. But he is absolutely trustworthy ———”
“Heavens above!” she broke in, “what are you talking about? What are you afraid of?”
“Oh, Miss Carr,” he threw out his hands, and shook his head. “If you’d been hit as I have ———”
“My friend, if the other women you have known have been malignant beasts, please don’t judge me by them. It’s not very complimentary to me or to your own judgment.”
Something in her eyes hypnotized him and his mobile face lightened.
“I apologize for my judgment. I’m afraid it never has been very good. Now I want to know if I can’t help you to-day. You won’t feel like work. Is there anything I could write here and send along?”
“You did the leader?” She was beginning to think quite clearly now.
“Yes, a column. And I wrote up an interesting bit of news I got yesterday about an Englishman up at Townshend’s mill who has just come into a fortune. I know him, and the news is accurate. You will have it ahead of the Auckland papers. I did nearly a column of that, thinking you could cut it if you did not want it all. That’s
