“Light!” Alix whispered, awestruck And a few moments later she added, “Dawn!”

It was dawn indeed that was creeping into the valley, and as it brightened and deepened and warmed momentarily, Alix felt some of the peace and glory of it swelling in her tired heart.  The sky grew pale, grew white, gradually turned to blue, and the little clouds drifting across it vanished, lost in a swimming vapour of pink and pearl.

Suddenly a first shaft of sunlight struck across the mountain ridge, and lay bright on the hilltop opposite, the fog that still clung to the peak of the mountain was steadily ascending into the brilliant air, dew sparkled, and the hoary, lichened limbs of the sprawling oaks glistened in the light.  The sun came up, and Alix felt the blessed warmth against her chilled and cramped shoulders, and stretched her arms out to welcome the flood of brightness and new courage after the darkness and doubts of the night.

She was still sitting on the log, dreamily watching the expanding beauty of the new day, when there was a crashing in the underbrush behind her, and wild with joy, and with twigs and dried brown grasses on his wet coat, Buck came bounding out of the forest, and leaped upon her.

“Bucky!” she faltered, as he stood beside her, his quick tongue flashing ecstatically, close to her face, every splendid muscle of his body wriggling with eager affection.  “Did you miss me, old fellow?  Did you come to find me?”

She had not cried during the long vigil of the night, when a storm had raged in her heart, and had left her weak and sick with dread.  But there was peace now, and Alix locked her arms about the dog’s shoulders, and laid her face against his satiny head, and cried.

CHAPTER XXI

When Cherry came out to breakfast, a few hours later, she found Alix already at the porch table.  Alix looked pale, but fresh and trim; she had evidently just tubbed, and she wore one of the plain, wide-striped ginghams that were extremely becoming to her rather boyish type.

She looked up, and nodded at Cherry composedly.  Cherry always kissed her sister in the morning, but she did not to-day.  She felt troubled and ashamed, and instinctively avoided the little caress.

“No men?” she asked, sharing her grapefruit with her mail.

“Peter had to go to San Rafael with Mr. Thomas in his car, to do something about the case,” Alix explained.  “I drove them down, and at the last minute Martin decided to go.  So I marketed, and got the mail, and came back, and the understanding is that we are to meet them at the St. Francis for dinner, at six, and go to the Orpheum.”

“Is it almost ten?” Cherry said sleepily, gazing in surprise at the clock that was visible through the open door.  “I’m terribly ashamed!  And when did you get up, and silently make your bed, and hang up your things?”

“Oh, early!” Alix answered, noncommittally.  “I had a bath, and this is my second breakfast!”