burton used his room telephone at the hotel to call up watson, and even so he did not give his name.

"it's all right so far. we'll go ahead as planned," he said.

next he went to the station to meet rachel. the west-bound train to which her car, "oversee," was attached, came puffing in with the air of importance which every one and everything that ministered to rachel came sooner or later to assume. he walked down to the end of the long platform, and there was the familiar car, and, what was not so to be taken for granted, there was rachel herself on the steps, waving an impatient hand to him.

"how jolly of you to come and see me," he said impudently, as he took her hand. for some queer reason, he did not carry it to his lips, as had been his old custom. "i was greatly surprised to receive your telegram yesterday."

"were you?" she murmured in a tone that might mean nothing or might mean everything. "didn't you think it was time?"

"time for what?"

"oh,--just time!"

"it is always time for you to telegraph me or write me or to come halfway across the continent to see me," he said promptly. "is philip with you?"

"come inside," she said, and led the way into the tiny drawing-room of the coach. "your things are coming soon, i hope. we have only half an hour here. is there anything worth getting off for, or shall we just sit and talk?"

"we'll talk first. please remember that i don't know yet what has brought you here. where is philip?"

"oh, he didn't come with me," she said, motioning him to a seat as she took a chair herself. it was a part of her general harmoniousness that she always took a chair which was in the right light to show up her hair. he used to smile at the trait. it struck him now for the first time as somewhat trivial. and as he looked at her, it struck him for the first time that she was somewhat trivial as a whole. rachel trivial? it gave him a shock that made his answer almost incoherent.

"poor fellow!" he said mechanically. "still unable to bear moving?"

"philip is greatly improved," she said. she was sliding a jewelled bracelet up and down on her arm, and did not look at him. "in fact, he is so much better that he has run over to france, with the armstrongs."

burton looked at her in grave inquiry. "i am glad that he is better, but why didn't he come with you, instead of going across the water?"

"oh, i didn't need him. and he knew that i should pick you up here."

"but surely it was due to miss underwood that he should come to her, if he were able to go anywhere. nothing but his inability to travel justified my coming between them in this matter in the first place."

"my dear hugh, i hope you haven't committed philip in any way to that impossible girl!"

he stared at her in silence, absolutely speechless.

"of course i know you were sent as envoy extraordinary and plenipotentiary," she said, with one of the sudden smiles which had so often disarmed his protests, "but that was because i was so sure i could trust everything to your discretion. and i know you haven't failed me! when you discovered that the underwoods were the principals in a cause celèbre, surely that was enough!"

he choked down the white wrath that surged upward. the very ghastliness of the situation made it necessary that he should be very careful. he spoke, after a moment, in almost his natural voice.

"i should not be surprised at your attitude, because i remember now--though i had forgotten it until you spoke--that i had the same feeling about the matter before i had met the underwoods themselves. after knowing them, my feeling changed. i hoped i had made my impressions of miss underwood clear in my letters to you."

"you made it sufficiently clear that you had been bewitched," she said, with a smile that was not wholly friendly. "miss underwood must be very pretty."

"yes, she is. and she is 'nice' in every other way, too. she is a brave, staunch, noble woman,--and philip ought to go down on his knees in thankfulness for winning her."

"you are somewhat extravagant in speech," she said coldly. "philip overman would hardly need to express in that fashion his gratitude for winning the daughter of a country doctor of very tarnished reputation, whose brother has also figured in the police court!"

"did you gather that from my letters?"

"no, from the newspapers. the situation has been written up for the sunday supplements. the whole thing is cheap,--oh, horribly cheap, my dear hugh!"

"but, rachel,--for heaven's sake, what do you mean? philip is in love with the girl,--"

"fancies of that sort soon pass, hugh."

"you thought it serious enough when you sent me to see her."

"i was frantic for the moment over philip, and i would have sent you to get the moon for him, if he had cried for it. but it doesn't follow that i would let him have it when he got well."

"has philip nothing to say on the subject himself?" he asked coldly.

she smiled enigmatically, and instead of answering at once she asked in turn: "exactly what did you say to miss underwood? how far did you--exercise diplomacy?"

"i didn't exercise any. i told her philip was dying because she had refused him, and i took advantage of every feeling i could play upon to win the conditional promise from her that i sent on to you."

"what was her condition?"

"that the mystery hanging over the family be cleared, so that she could come to him on equal terms."

"that is,--if their name were cleared? i think you so expressed it in one of your interesting letters."

"that was her phrase."

"then that lets us out," she smiled. "it hasn't been cleared."

"but it will be! very soon! i am on the track now. by to-morrow i hope to show you the underwood name as spotless as overman."

she looked at him with unmistakable astonishment. "that you can make such a comparison makes sufficiently clear your amazing point of view. i hardly think we need discuss the matter further."

"i shall discuss it with philip," he said abruptly.

"i told you philip had gone abroad."

"i shall follow him. i must talk with the boy himself. he must have some spark of manliness."

"why are you so provoking, hugh?" she exclaimed. "what difference does it make about these people? who are they that you should care?"

"i care for philip's honor," he said obstinately. "that is involved. and the girl's happiness is involved."

"i'm sorry," said mrs. overman, with a smile that did not look sorry. "i'm afraid the matter is out of our hands, though, hugh. janet armstrong is in the party. i rather think that you would find it too late to interfere."

he looked at her steadily and in silence.

"janet is a charming girl," she went on lightly. "she will be a better match even than ellice avery. a year ago it might have been ellice, but it has turned out for the best all around. janet and philip were engaged the day they sailed. and you must see, hugh, that there is nothing further to be said about it."

perhaps he did, for he said nothing. he rose and walked to the window and stood looking out so long that the lady frowned and smiled and frowned again, and finally spoke.

"where are your things, hugh? it is getting late."

"my things? oh, they are not coming."

"but you are going on with me, aren't you?"

"no," he said. "i'm sorry."

"but i counted on you," she cried.

"i'm sorry," he said again, very gently. he could afford to be gentle now. "i have important work to do tonight."

"you are going to see that girl?"

"i did not mean that. i have a different engagement. but of course i shall see her as soon as possible."

mrs. overman bit her lip. "you are very punctilious! well, i will wait a day for you. it need not take you longer."

he shook his head. "it may take me much longer. i shall be in high ridge for some time, probably."

"then--i'd better not wait for you."

"no. don't wait for me," he said slowly.

she was very pale, but she smiled. "then this is goodbye?"

"yes, for the present."

she did not see his extended hand. she was untangling an invisible knot in the chain she wore, so her fingers were occupied.

"i don't know when i may see you again, then, for my plans are almost as indefinite as your own," she said airily. "i'm going somewhere,--and then somewhere else. when i'm ready to see you, i'll let you know."

"good-bye,--and with the deepest meaning of the word," he said gravely. there was no use in ignoring what lay under the scene.

"perhaps you'd better get off now, hugh. you might be carried away in spite of your resolution,--and i should hate to see you carried away against your judgment," she mocked.

"good-bye," he repeated. something whirled in his brain.

as burton watched the train pull out, its jaunty plume of smoke flaunting its scorn of high ridge, it might have been hard to say whether he was more angry or more miserable. perhaps each emotion helped to keep the other within bounds. how was he going to break to miss underwood the news that philip had jilted her? that was the plain fact; and with her sensitive pride, her defenseless humility,--oh, it was an outrage. if he ever got a chance at philip! to woo her for philip had been irksome enough in the first place. to refuse her for philip was something he had not undertaken to do.

but that must wait for to-morrow. he had another matter on his hands for tonight; the trap he had set must be sprung.