The embarrassment, suspiciousness, and uneasiness of the coach party
here found relief in a half hysteric explosion of laughter, in which
even the dogged Hiram and Sophy joined. It seemed as impossible to
withstand the girl's invincible audacity as her beauty. She was quick to
perceive her advantage, and, with a responsive laugh and a picturesque
gesture of invitation, said:--

"Now that's all settled, ye'd better waltz in and have your whiskey and
coffee afore the stage starts. Ye kin comfort yourselves that it ain't
stolen or pizoned, even if it is served up to ye by Snapshot Harry's
niece!" With another easy gesture she swung the demijohn over her arm,
and, offering a tin cup to each of the men, filled them in turn.

The ice thus broken, or perhaps thus perilously skated over, the
passengers were as profuse in their thanks and apologies as they had
been constrained and artificial before. Heckshill and Frenshaw vied with
each other for a glance from the audacious Flo. If their compliments
partook of an extravagance that was at times ironical, the girl was
evidently not deceived by it, but replied in kind. Only the expressman
who seemed to have fallen under the spell of her audacious glances, was
uneasy at the license of the others, yet himself dumb towards her. The
lady discreetly drew nearer to the fire, the old woman, and her coffee;
Hiram subsided into his apathetic attitude by the fire.

A shout from the road at last proclaimed the return of Yuba Bill and his
helpers. It had the singular effect of startling the party into a vague
and uneasy consciousness of indiscretion, as if it had been the voice
of the outer world of law and order, and their manner again became
constrained. The leave-taking was hurried and perfunctory; the