As he took his seat McFarlane said: "You stayed in camp till yesterday afternoon, did you?"
"Yes, we were expecting you every moment."
He saw nothing in this to remark upon. "Did it snow at the lake?"
"Yes, a little; it mostly rained."
"It stormed up on the divide like a January blizzard. When did Moore and his party arrive?"
"About ten o"clock this morning."
"I"ll ride right up and see them. What about the outfit? That"s at the lake, I reckon?"
"Yes, I was just sending Tony after it. But, father, if you go up to Moore"s camp, don"t say too much about what has happened. Don"t tell them just when you took the back-trail, and just how long Wayland and I were in camp."
"Why not?"
She reddened with confusion. "Because--You know what an old gossip Mrs.
Belden is. I don"t want her to know. She"s an awful talker, and our being together up there all that time will give her a chance."
A light broke in on the Supervisor"s brain. In the midst of his preoccupation as a forester he suddenly became the father. His eyes narrowed and his face darkened. "That"s so. The old rip could make a whole lot of capital out of your being left in camp that way. At the same time I don"t believe in dodging. The worst thing we could do would be to try to blind the trail. Was Tony here last night when you came?"
"No, he was down the valley after his mail."
His face darkened again. "That"s another piece of bad luck, too. How much does the old woman know at present?"
"Nothing at all."
"Didn"t she cross-examine you?"
"Sure she did; but Wayland side-tracked her. Of course it only delays things. She"ll know all about it sooner or later. She"s great at putting two and two together. Two and two with her always make five."
McFarlane mused. "Cliff will be plumb crazy if she gets his ear first."
"I don"t care anything about Cliff, daddy. I don"t care what he thinks or does, if he will only let Wayland alone."
"See here, daughter, you do seem to be terribly interested in this tourist."
"He"s the finest man I ever knew, father."
He looked at her with tender, trusting glance. "He isn"t your kind, daughter. He"s a nice clean boy, but he"s different. He don"t belong in our world. He"s only just stopping here. Don"t forget that."
"I"m not forgetting that, daddy. I know he"s different, that"s why I like him." After a pause she added: "n.o.body could have been nicer all through these days than he has been. He was like a brother."
McFarlane fixed a keen glance upon her. "Has he said anything to you? Did you come to an understanding?"
Her eyes fell. "Not the way you mean, daddy; but I think he--likes me.
But do you know who he is? He"s the son of W. W. Norcross, that big Michigan lumberman."
McFarlane started. "How do you know that?"
"Mr. Moore asked him if he was any relation to W.W. Norcross, and he said, "Yes, a son." You should have seen how that Moore girl changed her tune the moment he admitted that. She"d been very free with him up to that time; but when she found out he was a rich man"s son she became as quiet and innocent as a kitten. I hate her; she"s a deceitful snip."
"Well, now, daughter, that being the case, it"s all the more certain that he don"t belong to our world, and you mustn"t fix your mind on keeping him here."
"A girl can"t help fixing her mind, daddy."
"Or changing it." He smiled a little. "You used to like Cliff. You liked him well enough to promise to marry him."
"I know I did; but I despise him now."
"Poor Cliff! He isn"t so much to blame after all. Any man is likely to flare out when he finds another fellow cutting in ahead of him. Why, here you are wanting to kill Siona Moore just for making up to your young tourist."
"But that"s different."
He laughed. "Of course it is. But the thing we"ve got to guard against is old lady Belden"s tongue. She and that Belden gang have it in for me, and all that has kept them from open war has been Cliff"s relationship to you. They"ll take a keen delight in making the worst of all this camping business." McFarlane was now very grave. "I wish your mother was here this minute. I guess we had better cut out this timber cruise and go right back."
"No, you mustn"t do that; that would only make more talk. Go on with your plans. I"ll stay here with you. It won"t take you but a couple of days to do the work, and Wayland needs the rest."
"But suppose Cliff hears of this business between you and Norcross and comes galloping over the ridge?"
"Well, let him, he has no claim on me."
He rose uneasily. "It"s all mighty risky business, and it"s my fault. I should never have permitted you to start on this trip."
"Don"t you worry about me, daddy, I"ll pull through somehow. Anybody that knows me will understand how little there is in--in old lady Belden"s gab. I"ve had a beautiful trip, and I won"t let her nor anybody else spoil it for me."
McFarlane was not merely troubled. He was distracted. He was afraid to meet the Beldens. He dreaded their questions, their innuendoes. He had perfect faith in his daughter"s purity and honesty, and he liked and trusted Norcross, and yet he knew that should Belden find it to his advantage to slander these young people, and to read into their action the lawlessness of his own youth, Berea"s reputation, high as it was, would suffer, and her mother"s heart be rent with anxiety. In his growing pain and perplexity he decided to speak frankly to young Norcross himself. "He"s a gentleman, and knows the way of the world. Perhaps he"ll have some suggestion to offer." In his heart he hoped to learn that Wayland loved his daughter and wished to marry her.
Wayland was down on the bridge leaning over the rail, listening to the song of the water.
McFarlane approached gravely, but when he spoke it was in his usual soft monotone. "Mr. Norcross," he began, with candid inflection, "I am very sorry to say it; but I wish you and my daughter had never started on this trip."
"I know what you mean, Supervisor, and I feel as you do about it. Of course, none of us foresaw any such complication as this, but now that we are snarled up in it we"ll have to make the best of it. No one of us is to blame. It was all accidental."
The youth"s frank words and his sympathetic voice disarmed McFarlane completely. Even the slight resentment he felt melted away. "It"s no use saying _if_," he remarked, at length. "What we"ve got to meet is Seth Belden"s report--Berrie has cut loose from Cliff, and he"s red-headed already. When he drops onto this story, when he learns that I had to chase back after the horses, and that you and Berrie were alone together for three days, he"ll have a fine club to swing, and he"ll swing it; and Alec will help him. They"re all waiting a chance to get me, and they"re mean enough to get me through my girl."
"What can I do?" asked Wayland.
McFarlane pondered. "I"ll try to head off Marm Belden, and I"ll have a talk with Moore. He"s a pretty reasonable chap."
"But you forget there"s another tale-bearer. Moore"s daughter is with them."
"That"s so. I"d forgotten her. Good Lord! we are in for it. There"s no use trying to cover anything up."
Here was the place for Norcross to speak up and say: "Never mind, I"m going to ask Berrie to be my wife." But he couldn"t do it. Something rose in his throat which prevented speech. A strange repugnance, a kind of sullen resentment at being forced into a declaration, kept him silent, and McFarlane, disappointed, wondering and hurt, kept silence also.
Norcross was the first to speak. "Of course those who know your daughter will not listen for an instant to the story of an unclean old thing like Mrs. Belden."