“Because, if you’d been the sort of girl you ought to be, you wouldn’t have stayed a minute longer in that cabin than you could have helped.  You’d have stood down by the gully all night long just to show the folks in the camp that you wouldn’t stay in that cabin after there was any chance at all for you to get away,” Gallito answered her before Bob Flick got a chance.  “What made you stay up there?  You and him, too,” he pointed one, long, gnarled forefinger at Seagreave, “have got to answer me that question.  And there’s another one, too, and you’ll answer it.”

Again Pearl stared at him, and again she turned her puzzled eyes on Bob Flick.  Then, as the meaning of their attitude flashed over her, she fell back a pace or two, her face grown white.  “Dios!” she murmured, with stiff lips, a sob rising in her throat.

Then she tossed high her head in hot resentment.  Her mouth was set in a thin scarlet line of obstinacy, her eyes burned, but their expression was unreadable.  With a slow movement of her body, expressing infinite scorn, she swung away from her father and her lover and, with her eyes upon the far, blue ranges, superbly ignored them.

Bob Flick shot a warning glance at Gallito, who was about to speak, and took a hasty step forward.  “Look here, Pearl,” he said conciliatingly, “don’t mind your Pop.  The strain on him’s been awful.  It’s been hard on all of us.  You sure gave us some terrible days, not knowing whether you were alive or dead, but we all kind of figured from the direction that the snow-slide took that it missed the cabin, and we wouldn’t believe anything else but that you were as much alive as ever and as anxious to see us as we were to see you.  And, Pearl, listen,” striving to divert her gaze from those dim, blue ranges, “we ain’t been idle.  There’s some great news for you.  You tell her, Gallito.”

“Yes,” the Spaniard’s tone softened a little and he lifted his head with a touch of pride, “it sure is great news.  I been in correspondence with Sweeney and he opened up the matter of a contract again.  I been dickering with him just the same as if we knew that you were safe and alive.  I wouldn’t let myself think anything else; and the result, Pearl,” he paused, his eyes scanning her face, “the result is that he’s just doubled his offer of last year and will play you over a circuit twice as big, the cities only.  How does that strike you?”

But there was no answering enthusiasm on Pearl’s face, not even a gleam of interest.  Gallito and Flick looked at each other in dismay.  Her indifference was genuine, they saw that clearly.  There was no affected disdain in her manner of receiving the news.  It was simply a matter which did not touch her at all.

Seeing this, a slow, burning flush crept up into her father’s face, his jaws worked.  “Pearl, did you hear?” he demanded, “because if you didn’t, you’d better pay attention, and pay attention quick.  I’ve accepted for you, given my word to Sweeney that if you were alive you’d take this offer.  And now you and me are going to leave Colina within a few hours, and you’re going to leave for good.  Understand?”