riding, he went down to his launch and turned up the river, as he had done before when he was away from her. At least it would not be at Mac’s, and under the eye of Bob Lorrimer, that he went under.
III
In spite of her determination to be detached, Valerie felt a chill when Lee came to ask her at lunch the next day where she would have it.
She knew she would learn nothing if she asked that boy questions. She was both irritated by having him as a buffer between her and Dane and attracted by his admirable matter-of-fact air. As she ate again by herself the situation began to get on her nerves.
As before she went out to soothe herself by working with the earth, and as she dug she heard the launch come into the bay. She slipped back quietly to her rooms and was in time to see Dane emerge from the trees and disappear on his own side of the house. He slouched along with a stoop like an old man. She had not been able to see his face. She sat down so overwhelmed with pity for him that hot tears oozed painfully out of her eyes and dropped upon her grubby hands. But she tried to comfort herself with the thought that perhaps men did not suffer nearly as much about this kind of thing as women did for them. Perhaps he felt much better now that he had fed that demon in him. He would be weak and sick for a day or two, but his mind might be at rest. She knew well enough he drank for no mere self-indulgent reason. Whatever it was, it was not that. There was a continual fight going on there, and it was knowledge of that that saved him from her condemnation.
She decided to ride into Dargaville, so that if he had
