walked swiftly to the wagon, and looking back once, drove off
with the utmost speed of which the Brooks's horse was capable,--
Rose waving him a farewell with one hand and wiping her eyes with
the other.



THE TURQUOISE RING

Stephen stood absolutely still in front of the opening in the
trees, and as Rose turned she met him face to face. She had
never dreamed his eyes could be so stern, his mouth so hard, and
she gave a sob like a child.

"You seem to be in trouble," Stephen said in a voice so cold she
thought it could not be his.

"I am not in trouble, exactly," Rose stammered, concealing her
discomfiture as well as possible. "I am a little unhappy because
I have made some one else unhappy; and now that you know it, you
will be unhappy too, and angry besides, I suppose, though you've
seen everything there was to see."

"There is no occasion for sorrow, Stephen said. "I didn't mean
to break in on any interview; I came over to give you back your
freedom. If you ever cared enough for me to marry me, the time
has gone by. I am willing to own that I over-persuaded you, but
I am not the man to take a girl against her inclinations, so we
will say good-by and end the thing here and now. I can only wish
--here his smothered rage at fate almost choked him--"that,