Hervey frowned at her.

“Look here,” he said, in a more dictatorial manner than he had ever used before.  “Why you so interested in this Perris?”

She hesitated, but only for an instant.  What did such a thing as shame matter when the life of Perris might be saved by a confession?  And certainly Hervey would not dare to proceed against Perris if she made such a confession.

“I’m interested,” she said steadily, “because he—­he means more to me than any other man in the world.”

She saw the head of the foreman jerk back as though he had received a blow in the face.

“More’n your father?”

“In a different way—­yes, more than Dad!”

Hervey rose and stretched an accusing arm towards her.

“You’re in love with Red Perris!”

And she answered him fiercely:  “Yes, yes, yes!  In love with Red
Perris!  Go tell every one of your men.  Shame me as far as you wish! 
But—­Mr. Hervey, you won’t dare lead a gang against him now!”

He drew back from her, thrust away by her half-hysteria of emotion.

“Won’t I?” growled Hervey, regarding her from beneath sternly gathered brows.  “I seen something of this to-night.  I guessed it all.  Won’t I lay a hand on a sneaking hound that comes grinning and talking soft and saying things he don’t half mean?  Why, it’s a better reason for throwing him off the ranch than I ever had before, seems to me!”

“You don’t mean that!” she breathed.  “Say you don’t mean that!”

“Your Dad ain’t here.  If he was, he’d say the same as me.  I got to act in his place.  You think you like Perris.  Why, you’d be throwing yourself away.  You’d break Oliver Jordan’s heart.  That’s what you’d do!”

Her brain was whirling.  She grasped at the first thought that came to her.

“Then wait till he comes back before you touch Jim Perris.”

“And let Perris raise the devil in the meantime?”

He laughed in her face.

“At least,” she cried, her voice shrill with anger and fear, “let me know where he is.  Let me send for him myself.”

“Dunno that I’m exactly sure about where he is myself,” fenced Lew Hervey.

“Ah,” moaned the girl, half-breaking down under the strain.  “Why do you hate me so?  What have I done to you?”

“Nothing,” said Hervey grimly.  “Made me the laughing stock of the mountains—­that’s all.  Made me a joke—­that’s all you’ve done to me.  ‘Lew Hervey and his boss—­the girl.’  That’s what they been saying about me.  But I ain’t been taking that to heart.  What I’m doing now is for your own good, only you don’t know it!  You’ll see it later on.”

“Mr. Hervey,” she pleaded, “if it will change you, I’ll give you my oath to stop bothering with the management of the ranch.  You can run it your own way.  I’ll leave if you say the word, but——­”

“I know,” said Hervey.  “I know what you’d say.  But Lord above, Miss Jordan, I ain’t doing this for my own sake.  I’m doing it for yours and your father’s.  He’ll thank me if you don’t!  Far as Perris goes, I’d——­”