by the men at work on that night shift, even by the laborers who carried timbers, and grunted and swore in strange tongues; this was that the night shift men had suddenly begun to feel a most restless energy crowding them on, and they worked nearly as well as Bannon’s day shifts.  For Peterson’s spirits had risen with a leap, once the misunderstanding that had been weighing on him had been removed, and now he was working as he had never worked before.  The directions he gave showed that his head was clearer; and there was confidence in his manner.

Hilda was so serious all day after her talk with Bannon that once, in the afternoon, when he came into the office for a glance at the new pile of blue prints, he smiled, and asked if she were laying out a campaign.  It was the first work of the kind that she had ever undertaken, and she was a little worried over the need for tact and delicacy.  After she had closed her desk at supper time, she saw Bannon come into the circle of the electric light in front of the office, and, asking Max to wait, she went to meet him.

“Well,” he said, “are you loaded up to fight the ’power of the union’?”

She smiled, and then said, with a trace of nervousness:—­

“I don’t believe I’m quite so sure about it as I was this morning.”

“It won’t bother you much.  When you’ve made him see that we’re square and Grady isn’t, you’ve done the whole business.  We won’t pay fancy damages, that’s all.”

“Yes,” she said, “I think I know.  What I wanted to see you about was—­ was—­Max and I are going over right after supper, and—­”

She stopped abruptly; and Bannon, looking down at her, saw a look of embarrassment come into her face; and then she blushed, and lowering her eyes, fumbled with her glove.  Bannon was a little puzzled.  His eyes rested on her for a moment, and then, without understanding why, he suddenly knew that she had meant to ask him to see her after the visit, and that the new personal something in their acquaintance had flashed a warning.  He spoke quickly, as if he were the first to think of it.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll come around tonight and hear the report of the committee of adjusters.  That’s you, you know.  Something might come up that I ought to know right away.”

“Yes,” she replied rapidly, without looking up, “perhaps that would be the best thing to do.”

He walked along with her toward the office, where Max was waiting, but she did not say anything, and he turned in with:  “I won’t say good-night, then.  Good luck to you.”