"Oh, I am so distressed! This is all my doing! I should have known
better----"

"Now," I interrupted her, decisively, "let's get down to cases. You had
nothing to do with this; nothing whatever. I visited this ranch the
first time out of curiosity, and to-night because I knew that I'd have
to hit first to save my own life. You had no influence on me in either
case."

"You thought this was my room--I wrote you it was," she countered,
swiftly.

"I wanted to see you solely and simply that I might find out how to get
at Hooper. This is all my fault; and we're going to cut out the
self-accusations and get down to cases."

I afterward realized that all this was somewhat inconsiderate and
ungallant and slightly humiliating; I should have taken the part of the
knight-errant rescuing the damsel in distress, but at that moment only
the direct essentials entered my mind.

"Very well," she assented in her repressed tones.

"Do you think he is listening to what we say; or has somebody
listening?"

"I am positive not."

"Why?"