"Out to see El Sangre."

He went whistling out of the door, and she followed him with confused
feelings of anger, pride, joy, and fear. She went to a side window and
saw him go fearlessly into the corral where the man-destroying El Sangre
was kept. And the big stallion, red fire in the sunshine, went straight
to him and nosed at a hip pocket. They had already struck up a perfect
understanding. Deeply she wondered at it.

She had never loved the mountains and their people and their ways. It had
been a battle to fight. She had fought the battle, won, and gained a
hollow victory. And watching Terry caress the great, beautiful horse, she
knew vaguely that his heart, at least, was in tune with the wilderness.

"I wish to heaven, Terry," she murmured, "that you could find a master as
El Sangre has done. You need teaching."

When she turned from the window, she found Vance watching her. He had a
habit of obscurely melting into a background and looking out at her
unexpectedly. All at once she knew that he had been there listening
during all of her talk with Terence. Not that the talk had been of a
peculiarly private nature, but it angered her. There was just a semblance
of eavesdropping about the presence of Vance. For she knew that Terence
unbosomed himself to her as he would do in the hearing of no other human
being. However, she mastered her anger and smiled at her brother. He had
taken all these recent changes which were so much to his disadvantage
with a good spirit that astonished and touched her.

"Do you know what I'm going to give Terry for his birthday?" he said,
sauntering toward her.