told him so. She waited to see if she would hear more and did not suppose anything would happen before she saw Dane, as she had arranged, on the Wednesday evening. It was on that day soon after the paper was out that she quite unexpectedly got the news of her father’s arrival.
Riding along from Te Koperu Doctor Steele had met the buggy from the stables, had recognized Davenport Carr as the only occupant and had seen that his nod was absent-mindedly returned, and then had begun to wonder what Carr was doing out on that road. With a presentiment that something was in the air he stopped at the News office as he occasionally did when passing at that hour of the day to get his paper. He walked in, saw Valerie sitting there with Bob, and after he had been given a copy of the News he said casually, “So your father is paying us a visit again, Miss Carr.”
He saw her face cloud and Bob look quickly at her. But Valerie didn’t pretend she had expected him.
“Why, where did you see him, Doctor? He likes to be surprising.”
“I met him on the road here driving out towards Barrington’s. Perhaps we’ll have a game to-night,” and he walked out as if he had said nothing significant.
Bob and Valerie gave one look at each other. They had not seen the buggy pass the office, nor had it, for Carr had taken a back cut.
“You’d better go after him, hadn’t you?” said Bob quietly.
And without knowing exactly what she feared she had hurried to the hotel where her horse was waiting for her, and caring nothing as to who might have seen her father, she dashed through the town in the heat in pursuit of him. And before she was half-way out she was beside her-
