her body and not her soul, her will and not her heart which were
concerned with them. What that soul and that heart really were, remained
to be seen.




CHAPTER IV.

THE WOMAN

"One woman is fair, yet I am well; another is wise, yet I am well;
but till all graces be in one woman, one woman shall not come in my
grace."--Much Ado About Nothing.


True to his determination, the doctor devoted the night following his
advent into the little frontier village to the investigation of the
Quaker preacher's fitness for his use. He took Pepeeta with him, the
older habitues of the tavern standing on the porch and smiling
ironically as they started.

The meeting house was one of those conventional weather-boarded
buildings with which all travelers in the western states are familiar.
The rays of the tallow candles by which it was lighted were streaming
feebly out into the night. The doors were open, and through them were
passing meek-faced, soft-voiced and plain-robed worshipers.

The silhouettes of the men's broad hats and the women's poke bonnets,
seen dimly against the pale light of the windows as they passed, plainly