King, though he would have preferred to tramp ten miles over rough
trails, gleaning small joy from meeting strangers not of his sort who
would never be anything but strangers to him, accepted the inevitable
without demur and followed his host. He would shake hands, say a dozen
stupid words, and escape for a good long talk with Ben. Then, before the
lunch-hour, he would be off.

Gaynor led the way toward a side door, passing through a hallway and a
wide sun-room. Thus they came abreast of a wide stairway leading to the
second storey. Down the glistening treads, making her entrance like the
heroine in a play, just at the proper instant, in answer to her cue,
came Gloria.

"Gloria," called Gaynor.

"Papa," said Miss Gloria, "I wanted----Oh! You are not alone!"

Instinctively King frowned. "Now, why did she say that?" he asked within
himself. For she had seen him coming to the house. Straight-dealing
himself, circuitous ways, even in trifles, awoke his distrust.

"Come here, my dear," said Ben. "Mark, this is my little girl. Gloria,
you know all about this wild man. He is Mark King."

"Indeed, yes!" cried Gloria. She came smiling down the stairway, a
fluffy pink puffball floating fairy-wise. Her two hands were out,
ingenuously, pretty little pink-nailed hands which had done little in
this world beyond adorn charmingly the extremities of two soft round
arms. For an instant King felt the genial current within him frozen as
he stiffened to meet the girl he had watched in the extravagant dance