Decline it! No. Mr. Mallory will think twice about it before he does
that. What's that? Who's there?"

There was a sudden rustle in the bushes like the passage of some
frightened animal--and then all was still again.


CHAPTER V


The sun, an hour high, but only just topping the greenish crests of the
wheat, was streaming like the morning breeze through the open length of
Tom Bent's workshed. An exaggerated and prolonged shadow of the young
inventor himself at work beside his bench was stretching itself far into
the broken-down ranks of stalks towards the invisible road, and falling
at the very feet of Rose Mallory as she emerged from them.

She was very pale, very quiet, and very determined. The traveling mantle
thrown over her shoulders was dusty, the ribbons that tied her hat under
her round chin had become unloosed. She advanced, walking down the line
of shadow directly towards him.

"I am afraid I will have to trouble you once more," she said with a
faint smile, which did not, however, reach her perplexed eyes. "Could
you give me any kind of a conveyance that would take me to San Jose at
once?"

The young man had started at the rustling of her dress in the shavings,
and turned eagerly. The faintest indication of a loss of interest was
visible for an instant in his face, but it quickly passed into a smile