"You see," he said quietly, "they don't understand. They can't see how
fine Terry is in having made no attempt to avenge the death of his
father. I suppose a few of them think he's a coward. I even heard a
little talk to that effect!"

"Impossible!" cried Elizabeth.

She had not thought of this phase of the matter. All at once she hated
the sheriff.

"It really is possible," said Vance. "You see, it's known that Terry
never fights if he can avoid it. There never has been any real reason for
fighting until today. But you know how gossip will put the most unrelated
facts together, and make a complete story in some way."

"I wish the sheriff were dead!" moaned Elizabeth. "Oh, Vance, if you only
hadn't gone near Craterville! If you only hadn't distributed those
wholesale invitations!"

It was almost too much for Vance--to be reproached after so much of the
triumph was on her side--such a complete victory that she herself would
never dream of the peril she and Terry had escaped. But he had to control
his irritation. In fact, he saw his whole life ahead of him carefully
schooled and controlled. He no longer had anything to sell. Elizabeth had
made a mock of him and shown him that he was hollow, that he was living
on her charity. He must all the days that she remained alive keep
flattering her, trying to find a way to make himself a necessity to her.
And after her death there would be a still harder task. Terry, who
disliked him pointedly, would then be the master, and he would face the