“I was figuring on it.”

“Well, tie to this, bud.  If you work for him you won’t have him over you.”

“No?”

“No, you’ll have”—­he glanced a little uneasily around him—­“Lord Nick.”

“Who’s he?”

“Who’s he?” The big man started in astonishment.  “Sufferin’ catamounts!  Who is he?” He laughed in a disagreeable manner.  “Well, son, you’ll find out, right enough!”

“The way you talk, he don’t sound none too good.”

Hal Stern grew anxious.  “The way I talk?  Have I said anything agin’ him?  Not a word!  He’s—­he’s—­well, there ain’t ever been trouble between us and there never ain’t going to be.”  He flushed and looked steadily at Donnegan.  “Maybe he sent you to talk to me?” he asked coldly.

But Donnegan’s eyes took on a childish wideness.

“Why, I never seen him,” he declared.  Hall Stern allowed the muscles of his face to relax.  “All right,” he said, “they’s no harm done.  But Lord Nick is a name that ain’t handled none too free in these here parts.  Remember that!”

“But how,” pondered Donnegan, “can I be working for Lord Nick when I sign up to work under Jack Landis?”

“I’ll tell you how.  Nick and Lebrun work together.  Split profits.  And Nelly Lebrun works Landis for his dust.  So the stuff goes in a circle—­Landis to Nelly to Lebrun to Nick.  That clear?”

“I don’t quite see it,” murmured Donnegan.

“I didn’t think you would,” declared the other, and snorted his disgust.  “But that’s all I’m going to say.  Here come the boys—­and dead dry!”

For the afternoon was verging upon evening, and the first drift of laborers from the mines was pouring into The Corner.  One thing at least was clear to Donnegan:  that everyone knew how infatuated Landis had become with Nelly Lebrun and that Landis had not built up an extraordinarily good name for himself.

12

By the time absolute darkness had set in, Donnegan, in the new role of lady’s chaperon, sat before a dying fire with Louise Macon beside him.  He had easily seen from his talk with Stern that Landis was a public figure, whether from the richness of his claims or his relations with Lord Nick and Lebrun, or because of all these things; but as a public figure it would be impossible to see him alone in his own tent, and unless Louise could meet him alone half her power over him—­supposing that she still retained any—­would be lost.  Better by far that Landis should come to her than that she should come to him, so Donnegan had rented two tents by the day at an outrageous figure from the enterprising real estate company of The Corner and to this new home he brought the girl.

She accepted the arrangement with surprising equanimity.  It seemed that her father’s training had eliminated from her mind any questioning of the motives of others.  She became even cheerful as she set about arranging the pack which Donnegan put in her tent.  Afterward she cooked their supper over the fire which he built for her.  Never was there such a quick house-settling.  And by the time it was absolutely dark they had washed the dishes and sat before Lou’s tent looking over the night lights of The Corner and hearing the voice of its Great White Way opening.