I dashed back, leaped to the door of the arbor, my hand on my gun.

Wright was holding Sally.  When he heard me he let her go.  Then she uttered a cry that was one of alarm.  Her face blanched; her eyes grew strained.  One hand went to her breast.  She thought I meant to kill Wright.

“Excuse me,” I burst out frankly, turning to Wright.  I never saw a hyena, but he looked like one.  “I heard a squeal.  Thought a girl was hurt, or something.  Miss Sampson gave me orders to watch out for accidents, fire, anything.  So excuse me, Wright.”

As I stepped back, to my amazement, Sally, excusing herself to the scowling Wright, hurriedly joined me.

“Oh, it’s our dance, Russ!”

She took my arm and we walked through the patio.

“I’m afraid of him, Russ,” she whispered.  “You frightened me worse though.  You didn’t mean to—­to—­”

“I made a bluff.  Saw he’d been drinking, so I kept near you.”

“You return good for evil,” she replied, squeezing my arm.  “Russ, let me tell you—­whenever anything frightens me since we got here I think of you.  If you’re only near I feel safe.”

We paused at the door leading into the big parlor.  Couples were passing.  Here I could scarcely distinguish the last words she said.  She stood before me, eyes downcast, face flushed, as sweet and pretty a lass as man could want to see, and with her hand she twisted round and round a silver button on my buckskin vest.

“Dance with me, the rest of this,” she said.  “George shooed away my partner.  I’m glad for the chance.  Dance with me, Russ—­not gallantly or dutifully because I ask you, but because you want to.  Else not at all.”

There was a limit to my endurance.  There would hardly be another evening like this, at least, for me, in that country.  I capitulated with what grace I could express.

We went into the parlor, and as we joined the dancers, despite all that confusion I heard her whisper:  “I’ve been a little beast to you.”

That dance seemingly lasted only a moment—­a moment while she was all airy grace, radiant, and alluring, floating close to me, with our hands clasped.  Then it appeared the music had ceased, the couples were finding seats, and Sally and I were accosted by Miss Sampson.

She said we made a graceful couple in the dance.  And Sally said she did not have to reach up a mile to me—­I was not so awfully tall.

And I, tongue-tied for once, said nothing.

Wright had returned and was now standing, cigarette between lips, in the door leading out to the patio.  At the same moment that I heard a heavy tramp of boots, from the porch side I saw Wright’s face change remarkably, expressing amaze, consternation, then fear.

I wheeled in time to see Vaughn Steele bend his head to enter the door on that side.  The dancers fell back.

At sight of him I was again the Ranger, his ally.  Steele was pale, yet heated.  He panted.  He wore no hat.  He had his coat turned up and with left hand he held the lapels together.