and raved aloud. "From now on! From now on! Anything short of murder to
show 'em! And as for that girl--if there's somebody--"

Britt stopped short of what that rival might expect, but his expression
indicated that the matter was of even more moment than his affair with
the voters of the town.



CHAPTER V

"AND PHARAOH'S HEART WAS HARDENED"

When Vona left him that afternoon, Vaniman paced the floor.

She had gone bravely to her meeting with Britt, bearing Frank's kiss on
her cheek--a caress of encouragement when he had walked with her to the
door in order to lock it after her.

It was not worry that caused him to tramp to and fro, frowning. Vona's
demeanor of self-reliance had helped his feelings a great deal. But the
corollary of devoted love is chivalry, and he felt that he was allowing
her to do something that belonged to him to so, somehow. The policy
which they had so sanely discussed did not seem to be such a comfortable
course when he was alone, wondering what was going on across the
corridor.

At last the sound of a door and the click of her heels signaled the
end of the interview. He hoped that she would come back into the bank,
making an excuse of something forgotten, in order to give him a soothing