He turned his head, and looked up the path for the hundredth time, and
this time he sprang to his feet. Between the pines on the hillside his
eye had caught the flutter of a white dress.




CHAPTER VII

MR. SCOBELL IS FRANK


Much may happen in these rapid times in the course of an hour and a
half. While John was keeping his vigil on the sandstone rock, Betty was
having an interview with Mr. Scobell which was to produce far-reaching
results, and which, incidentally, was to leave her angrier and more at
war with the whole of her world than she could remember to have been in
the entire course of her life.

The interview began, shortly after breakfast, in a gentle and tactful
manner, with Aunt Marion at the helm. But Mr. Scobell was not the man
to stand by silently while persons were being tactful. At the end of
the second minute he had plunged through his sister's mild monologue
like a rhinoceros through a cobweb, and had stated definitely, with an
economy of words, the exact part which Betty was to play in Mervian
affairs.

"You say you want to know why you were cabled for. I'll tell you.
There's no use talking for half a day before you get to the point. I
guess you've heard that there's a prince here instead of a republic