the blue fire of her eyes and the intense red of her lips.  However, her beauty lay not so much in her regular features as in the wonderful flame-like quality which animated them, and which they assumed when she spoke or listened.  In repose, her face was as neutral as a rock or dead leaf.  It was neither beautiful nor otherwise.  When it was animated, it was as if the rock gave out silver lights of mica and rosy crystal under strong light, and as if the dead leaf leapt into flame.  James thought her much prettier than any of his sisters or their friends, but he was led quite unknowingly into this opinion, because of his own position as her protector.  That made him realize his own male gorgeousness and strength, and he really saw the girl with such complacency instead of himself.

They walked along, and all at once he stopped short.  Something occurred to him, which, strange to say, had not occurred before.  He was not in the least cowardly.  He was brave almost to foolhardiness.  All at once it occurred to him that he ought to follow the man.

“Good Lord!” said he and stopped.

“What is the matter?” asked the girl.

“Why, I must follow that man.  He is a suspicious character.  He ought not to be left at large.”

“I suppose you don’t care if you leave me alone,” said the girl accusingly.

James stared at her doubtfully.  There was that view of the situation.

“I am going to see my friend Annie Lipton, who lives in Westover.  There is half a mile of lonely road before I get there.  That man, for all I know, may be keeping sight of us in the woods over there.  While you are going back to chase him, he may come up with me.  Well, run along if you want to.  I am not afraid.”  But the girl’s lips quivered, and she paled again.

James glanced at the stretch of road ahead.  There was not a house in sight.  Woods were on one side, on the other was a rolling expanse of meadowland covered with dried last year’s grass, like coarse oakum-colored hair.

“I think I had better keep on with you,” James said.

“You can do exactly as you choose,” the girl replied defiantly, but tremulously.  “I am not in the least dependent upon men to escort me.  I wander miles around by myself.  This is the first time I have seemed to be in the slightest danger.  I dare say there was no danger this time, only he came up behind like a cat, and—­”

“He didn’t say anything?”

“No, he didn’t speak.  He only tried to make me turn my head, so he could see my face, and directly it seemed to me that I must die rather than let him.  He was trying to make me turn my head.  I think maybe he was an insane man.”

“I will go on with you,” said James.

They walked on for the half mile of which the girl had spoken.  A sudden shyness seemed to have come over both of them.  Then they began to come in sight of houses.  “I am not afraid now,” said the girl, “but I do think you are very foolish if you go back alone and try to hunt that man.  Ten chances to one he is armed, and you haven’t a thing to defend yourself with, except that medicine-case.”