“You say the law upheld them?”

“Sure.  Why, Ben Chase has a pull as strong as Diablo’s on a down grade.  Dick, we’re jobbed, outfigured, beat, tricked, and we can’t do a thing.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Belding, most of all for Laddy,” said Gale, feelingly.  “He’s all in.  He’ll never ride again.  He wanted to settle down here on the farm he thought he owned, grow grass and raise horses, and take it easy.  Oh, but it’s tough!  Say, he doesn’t know it yet.  He was just telling me he’d like to go out and look the farm over.  Who’s going to tell him?  What’s he going to do when he finds out about this deal?”

“Son, that’s made me think some,” replied Belding, with keen eyes fast upon the young man.  “And I was kind of wondering how you’d take it.”

“I?  Well, I’ll call on the Chases.  Look here, Belding, I’d better do some forestalling myself.  If Laddy gets started now there’ll be blood spilled.  He’s not just right in his mind yet.  He talks in his sleep sometimes about how Yaqui finished Rojas.  If it’s left to him—­he’ll kill these men.  But if I take it up—­”

“You’re talking sense, Dick.  Only here, I’m not so sure of you.  And there’s more to tell.  Son, you’ve Nell to think of and your mother.”

Belding’s ranger gave him a long and searching glance.

“You can be sure of me,” he said.

“All right, then; listen,” began Belding.  With deep voice that had many a beak and tremor he told Gale how Nell had been hounded by Radford Chase, how her mother had been driven by Ben Chase—­the whole sad story.

“So that’s the trouble!  Poor little girl!” murmured Gale, brokenly.  “I felt something was wrong.  Nell wasn’t natural, like her old self.  And when I begged her to marry me soon, while Dad was here, she couldn’t talk.  She could only cry.”

“It was hard on Nell,” said Belding, simply.  “But it ’ll be better now you’re back.  Dick, I know the girl.  She’ll refuse to marry you and you’ll have a hard job to break her down, as hard as the one you just rode in off of.  I think I know you, too, or I wouldn’t be saying—­”

“Belding, what ’re you hinting at?” demanded Gale.  “Do you dare insinuate that—­that—­if the thing were true it’d make any difference to me?”

“Aw, come now, Dick; I couldn’t mean that.  I’m only awkward at saying things.  And I’m cut pretty deep—­”

“For God’s dake, you don’t believe what Chase said?” queried Gale, in passionate haste.  “It’s a lie.  I swear it’s a lie.  I know it’s a lie.  And I’ve got to tell Nell this minute.  Come on in with me.  I want you, Belding.  Oh, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

Belding felt himself dragged by an iron arm into the sitting-room out into the patio, and across that to where Nell sat in her door.  At sight of them she gave a little cry, drooped for an instant, then raised a pale, still face, with eyes beginning to darken.