He had seen her half a dozen times before, for she was the daughter of
the ranch superintendent, and occasionally assisted her mother in
this culinary supervision--which did not, however, bring her into any
familiar association with the men. Even the younger ones, perhaps from
over-consciousness of their inferior position or the preoccupation of
their labor, never indulged in any gallantry toward her, and he himself,
in his revulsion of feeling against the whole sex, had scarcely noticed
that she was good-looking. But this naive exhibition of preference could
not be overlooked, either by his companions, who smiled cynically across
the table, or by himself, from whose morbid fancy it struck an ignoble
suggestion. Ah, well! the girl was pretty--the daughter of his employer,
who rumor said owned a controlling share in the company; why should
he not make this chance preference lead to something, if only to
ameliorate, in ways like this, his despicable position here. He knew
the value of his own good looks, his superior education, and a certain
recklessness which women liked; why should he not profit by them as well
as the one woman who had brought him to this? He owed her sex nothing;
if those among them who were not bad were only fools, there was no
reason why he should not deceive them as they had him. There was
all this small audacity and cynical purpose in his brown eyes as
he deliberately fixed them on hers. And I grieve to say that these
abominable sentiments seemed only to impart to them a certain attractive
brilliancy, and a determination which the undetermining sex is apt to
admire.

She blushed again, dropped her eyes, replied to his significant thanks
with a few indistinct words, and drew away from the table with a sudden
timidity that was half confession.