“Nancy Ellen never told a lie in her life,” said Kate.  “She has too much self-respect.  What she said she thought was true.  My only chance is that somebody has told her a lie.  You know best if they did.”

“Of course they did,” he broke in, glibly.  “Haven’t you lived in the same house with me long enough to know me better than any one else does?”

“You can live in the same house with people and know less about them than any one else, for that matter,” said Kate, “but that’s neither here nor there.  We’re in this together, we got to get on the job and pull, and make a success out of it that will make all of them proud to be our friends.  That’s the only thing left for me.  As I know the Bates, once they make up their minds, they never change.  With Nancy Ellen and Father both down on me, I’m a prodigal for sure.”

“What?” he cried, loudly.  “What?  Is your father in this, too?  Did he send you word you couldn’t come home, either?  This is a hell of a mess!  Speak up!”

Kate closed her lips, looked at him with deep scorn, and walked around the corner of the house.  For a second he looked after her threateningly, then he sprang to his feet, and ran to her, catching her in his arms.

“Forgive me, dearest,” he cried.  “That took the wind out of my sails until I was a brute.  You’d no business to say a thing like that.  Of course we can’t have the old Land King down on us.  We’ve got to have our share of that land and money to buy us a fine home in Hartley, and fix me up the kind of an office I should have.  We’ll borrow a rig and drive over to-morrow and fix things solid with the old folks.  You bet I’m a star-spangled old persuader, look what I did with you —­”

“You stop!” cried Kate, breaking from his hold.  “You will drive me crazy!  You’re talking as if you married me expecting land and money from it.  I haven’t been home in a year, and my father would deliberately kill me if I went within his reach.”

“Well, score one for little old scratchin’, pickin’, Mammy!” he cried.  “She said you had a secret!”

Kate stood very still, looking at him so intently that a sense of shame must have stirred in his breast.

“Look here, Kate,” he said, roughly.  “Mother did say you had a secret, and she hinted at Christmas that the reason you didn’t go home was because your folks were at outs with you, and you can ask her if I didn’t tell her to shut up and leave you alone, that I was in love with you, and I’d marry you and we’d get along all right, even if you were barred from home, and didn’t get a penny.  I just dare you to ask her.”

“It’s no matter,” said Kate, wearily.  “I’d rather take your word.”

“All right, you take it, for that’s the truth,” he said.  “But what was the rumpus?  How did you come to have a racket with your old man?”

“Over my wanting to teach,” said Kate.  Then she explained in detail.