MeantimethevoiceandmuffledtappinghadbroughtthetremulousfingersofoldForsythtothedoor-latch。Heopenedthedoorpartly；aslightfigurethathadbeenlurkingintheshadowoftheporchpushedrapidlythroughtheopening。Therewasafaintoutcryquicklyhushed，andthedoorclosedagain。Theraysofasinglecandleshowedthetwooldpeoplehystericallyclaspingintheirarmsthefigurethathadentered——aslightbutvicious-lookingyoungfellowoffive-and-twenty。
\"There，d——nit!\"hesaidimpatiently，inavoicewhoserichdepthwaslikeJosephine\'s，butwhosequerulousactionwasthatofthetwooldpeoplebeforehim，\"letmego，andquitthat，Ididn\'tcomeheretobestrangled!Iwantsomemoney——money，youhear!
Devilishquick，too，forI\'vegottobeoffagainbeforedaylight。
Solooksharp，willyou?\"
\"But，Stevydear，whenyoudidn\'tcomethattimethreemonthsago，butwrotefromLosAngeles，yousaidyou\'dmadeastrikeatlast，and\"——
\"Whatareyoutalkingabout?\"heinterruptedviolently。\"Thatwasjustmylyin\'tokeepyoufromworryin\'me。Threemonthsago——
threemonthsago!Why，youmusthavebeencrazytohaveswallowedit；Ihadn\'tacent。\"
\"Norhavewe，\"saidtheoldwoman，shrilly。\"Thathellishsisterofyoursstillkeepsuslikebeggars。Ouronlyhopewasyou，ourownboy。Andnowyouonlycometo——togoagain。\"
\"ButSHEhasmoney；SHE\'Sdoingwell，andSHEshallgiveittome，\"
hewenton，angrily。\"Shecan\'tbullymewithherbusinessairsandmorality。Whoelsehasgotarighttoshare，ifitisnotherownbrother?\"
Alasforthefatuousnessofhumanmalevolence!HadtheunhappycouplerelatedonlythesimplefactstheyknewaboutthenewguestofBurntRidgeRanch，andthemannerofhisintroduction，theymighthavesparedwhatfollowed。
Buttheoldwomanbrokeintoavindictivecry:\"Whoelse，Steve——
whoelse?Why，thesluthasbroughtaMANhere——asneaking，deceitful，underhanded，crazylover!\"
\"Oh，hasshe?\"saidtheyoungman，fiercely，yetsecretlypleasedatthispromisingevidenceofhissister\'shumanweakness。\"Whereisshe?I\'llgotoher。She\'sinherroom，Isuppose，\"andbeforetheycouldrestrainhim，hehadthrownofftheirimpedingembracesanddartedacrossthehall。
Thetwooldpeoplestareddoubtfullyateachother。Foreventhispowerfulally，whosestrength，however，theywerebynomeanssureof，mightsuccumbbeforethedeterminedJosephine!Prudencedemandedamiddlecourse。\"Ain\'ttheybrotherandsister?\"saidtheoldman，withanairofvirtuoustoleration。\"Let\'emfightitout。\"
Theyoungmanimpatientlyenteredtheroomherememberedtohavebeenhissister\'s。Bythelightofthemoonthatstreameduponthewindowhecouldseeshewasnotthere。Hepassedhurriedlytothedoorofherbedroom；itwasopen；theroomwasempty，thebedunturned。Shewasnotinthehouse——shehadgonetothemill。Ah!
Whatwasthattheyhadsaid?Aninfamousthoughtpassedthroughthescoundrel\'smind。Then，inwhathehalfbelievedwasanaccessofvirtuousfury，hebeganbythedimlighttorummageinthedrawersofthedeskforsuchloosecoinorvaluablesas，intheperfectsecurityoftheranch，wereoftenleftunguarded。Suddenlyheheardaheavyfootsteponthethreshold，andturned。
Anawfulvision——arecollection，sounexpected，soghostlikeinthatweirdlightthathethoughthewaslosinghissenses——stoodbeforehim。Itmovedforwardswithstaringeyeballsandwhiteandopenlipsfromwhichahorribleinarticulatesoundissuedthatwasthespeechofnolivingman!Withasingledesperate，almostsuperhumaneffortStephenForsythboundedaside，leapedfromthewindow，andranlikeamadmanfromthehouse。Thentheapparitiontrembled，collapsed，andsankinanundistinguishableheaptotheground。
WhenJosephineForsythreturnedanhourlaterwithhermillforeman，shewasstartledtofindherhelplesspatientinafitonthefloorofherroom。Withtheassistanceofhernowconvertedandpenitentemployee，shehadtheunfortunatemanconveyedtohisroom——butnotuntilshehadthoughtfullyrearrangedthedisorderofherdeskandclosedtheopendrawerswithoutattractingDickShipley\'sattention。Inthemorning，hearingthatthepatientwasstillinthesemiconsciousexhaustionofhislateattack，butwithoutseeinghim，shesentforDr。Duchesne。Thedoctorarrivedwhileshewasabsentatthemill，where，afteracarefulexaminationofhispatient，hesoughtherwithsomelittleexcitement。
\"Well?\"shesaid，witheagergravity。
\"Well，itlooksasifyourwishwouldbegratified。Yourfriendhashadanepilepticfit，butthephysicalshockhasstartedhismentalmachineryagain。Hehasrecoveredhisfaculties；hismemoryisreturning:hethinksandspeakscoherently；heisassaneasyouandI。\"
\"And\"——saidJosephine，questioningthedoctor\'sknittedeyebrows。
\"Iamnotyetsurewhetheritwastheresultofsomeshockhedoesn\'tremember；oranirritationofthebrain，whichwouldindicatethattheoperationhadnotbeensuccessfulandthattherewasstillsomephysicalpressureorobstructionthere——inwhichcasehewouldbesubjecttotheseattacksallhislife。\"
\"Doyouthinkhisreasoncamebeforethefitorafter?\"askedthegirl，anxiously。
\"Icouldn\'tsay。Hadanythinghappened?\"
\"Iwasaway，andfoundhimontheflooronmyreturn，\"sheanswered，halfuneasily。Afterapauseshesaid，\"Thenhehastoldyouhisnameandallabouthimself?\"
\"Yes，it\'snothingatall!HewasastrangerjustarrivedfromtheStates，goingtothemines——theoldstory；hadnonearrelations，ofcourse；wasn\'tmissedoraskedafter；rememberswalkingalongtheridgeandfallingover；name，JohnBaxter，ofMaine。\"Hepaused，andrelaxingintoaslightsmile，added，\"I
haven\'tspoiledyourromance，haveI?\"
\"No，\"shesaid，withanansweringsmile。Thenasthedoctorwalkedbrisklyawaysheslightlyknittedherprettybrows，hungherhead，pattedthegroundwithherlittlefootbeyondthehemofhergown，andsaidtoherself，\"Themanwaslyingtohim。\"
CHAPTERIII
Onherreturntothehouse，Josephineapparentlycontentedherselfwithreceivingthebulletinofthestranger\'sconditionfromtheservant，forshedidnotenterhisroom。Shehadobtainednotheoryoflastnight\'sincidentfromherparents，who，beyondaquerulousagitationthatwasquickenedbythenewsofhisreturntoreason，refrainedfromeventhatinsidiouscommentwhichshehalffearedwouldfollow。Whenanotherdaypassedwithoutherseeinghim，sheneverthelesswasconsciousofalittleembarrassmentwhenhisattendantbroughthertherequestthatshewouldgivehimamoment\'sspeechintheporch，whitherhehadbeenremoved。
Shefoundhimphysicallyweaker；indeed，somuchsothatshewasfain，eveninherembarrassment，toassisthimbacktothebenchfromwhichhehadceremoniouslyrisen。Butshewassostruckwiththechangeinhisfaceandmanner，achangesovirileandmasterful，inspiteofitsgentlesadnessofmanner，thatsherecoiledwithaslighttimidityasifhehadbeenastranger，althoughshewasalsoconsciousthatheseemedtobemoreathiseasethanshewas。Hebeganinalowexhaustedvoice，butbeforehehadfinishedhisfirstsentence，shefeltherselfinthepresenceofasuperior。
\"Mythankscomeverylate，MissForsyth，\"hesaid，withafaintsmile，\"butnooneknowsbetterthanyourselfthereasonwhy，orcanbetterunderstandthattheymeanthattheburdenyouhavesogenerouslytakenonyourselfisabouttobelifted。Iknowall，MissForsyth。SinceyesterdayIhavelearnedhowmuchIoweyou，evenmylifeIbelieve，thoughIamafraidImusttellyouinthesamebreaththatTHATisoflittleworthtoanyone。Youhavekindlyhelpedandinterestedyourselfinapoorstrangerwhoturnsouttobeanobody，withoutfriends，withoutromance，andwithoutevenmystery。Youfoundmelyingintheroaddownyonder，afterastupidaccidentthatmighthavehappenedtoanyothercarelesstramp，andwhichscarcelygavemeaclaimtoabedinthecountyhospital，muchlessunderthiskindlyroof。Itwasnotmyfault，asyouknow，thatallthisdidnotcomeoutsooner；butwhileitdoesn\'tlessenyourgenerosity，itdoesn\'tlessenmydebt，andalthoughIcannothopetoeverrepayyou，Icanatleastkeepthescorefromrunningon。Pardonmyspeakingsobluntly，butmyexcuseforspeakingatallwastosay\'Good-by\'and\'Godblessyou。\'Dr。Duchesnehaspromisedtogivemealiftonmywayinhisbuggywhenhegoes。\"
Therewasaslighttouchofconsciousnessinhisvoiceinspiteofitssadness，whichstrucktheyounggirlasaweakandevenungentlemanlynoteinhisotherwiseself-abnegatingandundemonstrativeattitude。Ifhewasacommontramp，hewouldn\'ttalkinthatway，andifhewasn\'t，whydidhelie?Herpracticalgoodsensehereasserteditself。
\"Butyouarefarfromstrongyet；infact，thedoctorsaysyoumighthavearelapseatanymoment，andyouhave——thatis，youSEEM
tohavenomoney，\"shesaidgravely。
\"That\'strue，\"hesaid，quickly。\"IrememberIwasquiteplayedoutwhenIenteredthesettlement，andIthinkIhadpartedfromevensomelittletriflesIcarriedwithme。IamafraidIwasapoorfindtothosewhopickedmeup，andyououghttohavetakenwarning。ButthedoctorhasofferedtolendmeenoughtotakemetoSanFrancisco，ifonlytogiveafairtrialtothemachinehehassetoncemorea-going。\"
\"ThenyouhavefriendsinSanFrancisco?\"saidtheyounggirlquickly。\"Thosewhoknowyou?Whynotwritetothemfirst，andtellthemyouarehere?\"
\"Idon\'tthinkyourpostmasterherewouldbepreoccupiedwithlettersforJohnBaxter，ifIdid，\"hesaid，quietly。\"Buthereisthedoctorwaiting。Good-by。\"
Hestoodlookingatherinapeculiar，yethalf-resignedway，andheldouthishand。Foramomentshehesitated。Hadhebeenlessindependentandstrong，shewouldhaverefusedtolethimgo——haveofferedhimsomeslightemploymentattheranch；foroddlyenough，inspiteofthesuspicionthathewasconcealingsomething，shefeltthatshewouldhavetrustedhim，andhewouldhavebeenahelptoher。Buthewasnotonlydetermined，butSHEwasallthetimeconsciousthathewasatotallydifferentmanfromtheoneshehadtakencareof，andmerelyordinaryprudencedemandedthatsheshouldknowsomethingmoreofhimfirst。Shegavehimherhandconstrainedly；hepresseditwarmly。
Dr。Duchesnedroveup，helpedhimintothebuggy，smiledagood-
naturedbuthalf-perfunctoryassurancethathewouldlookafter\"herpatient，\"anddroveaway。
Thewholethingwasover，butsounexpectedly，sosuddenly，sounromantically，sounsatisfactorily，that，althoughhercommonsensetoldherthatitwasperfectlynatural，proper，business-
like，andreasonable，and，aboveall，finalandcomplete，shedidnotknowwhethertolaughorbeangry。Yetthiswasherpartingfromthemanwhohadbutafewdaysagomovedhertotearswithasinglehopelessgesture。Well，thiswouldteachherwhattoexpect。Well，whathadsheexpected?Nothing!
Yetfortherestofthedayshewasunreasonablyirritable，and，iftheconjointurebenotparadoxical，severelypractical，andinhumanlyjust。FallingfoulofsomepresumptionofMiguel\'s，baseduponhisprescriptiverightsthroughlongserviceontheestate，withtherecollectionofherseveritytowardshisantagonistinhermind，sheratedthattrustedretainerwithsuchpitilessequityandunfemininelogicthathishotLatinbloodchilledinhisveins，andhestoodlividontheroad。Then，informingDickShipleywithequallyrelentlesscalmthatshemightfeelitnecessarytochangeALLherforemenunlesstheycouldagreeinharmony，shesoughtthedignifiedseclusionofhercastle。Butherrespectedparents，whosetriumphantreliefatthestranger\'sdeparturehademboldenedthemtoawaitherreturnintheirporchwithbendedbowsofinvectiveandliftedjavelinsofaggression，recoiledbeforetheresistlesshelmofthiscold-browedMinerva，whogallopedcontemptuouslypastthem。
Nevertheless，shesatlatethatnightatherdesk。Thecoldmoonlookeddownuponherwindow，andlituptheemptyporchwherehersilentguesthadmutelywatchedher。Foramomentsheregrettedthathehadrecoveredhisreason，excusingherselfonthepracticalgroundthathewouldneverhaveknownhisdependence，andhewouldhavebeenbettercaredforbyher。Shefeltrestlessanduneasy。
Thisslightdivergencefromthepracticalgrooveinwhichherlifehadbeensethaddisturbedherinmanyotherthings，andgivenherthefirstviewsofthenarrownessofit。
Suddenlysheheardastepintheporch。Thelatenessofthehour，perhapssomeotherreason，seemedtostartleher，andshehalfrose。ThenextmomentthefigureofMiguelappearedatthedoorway，andwithaquick，hurriedlookaroundhim，andattheopenwindow，heapproachedher。Hewasevidentlyundergreatexcitement，hishollowshavencheeklookedlikeawaxeneffigyinthemissionchurch；hisyellow，tobacco-stainedeyeglitteredlikephosphorescentamber，hislankgrayhairwasdampandperspiring；butmorestrikingthanthiswastheevidentrestrainthehadputuponhimself，pressinghisbroad-brimmedsombrerowithbothofhistremblingyellowhandsagainsthisbreast。Theyounggirlcastahurriedglanceattheopenwindowandatthegunwhichstoodinthecorner，andthenconfrontedhimwithclearandsteadyeyes，butapalercheek。
Ah，hebeganinSpanish，whichhehimselfhadtaughtherasachild，itwasastrangething，hiscomingthereto-night；but，then，motherofGod!itwasastrange，aterriblethingthatshehaddonetohim——oldMiguel，heruncle\'sservant:hethathadknownherasamuchacha；hethathadlivedallhislifeattheranch——ay，andwhosefathersbeforehimhadlivedthereallTHEIRlivesanddriventhecattleovertheveryspotwhereshenowstood，beforethethievingAmericanscamehere!Buthewouldbecalm；yes，thesenorashouldfindhimcalm，evenasshewaswhenshetoldhimtogo。Hewouldnotspeak。No，he——Miguel——wouldcontainhimself；
yes，heHADmasteredhimself，butcouldherestrainothers?Ah，yes，OTHERS——thatwasit。CouldhekeepManuelandPepeandDominguezfromtalkingtothemilkman——thatleakingsieve，thatgabblingbruteofaShipley，forwhosesakeshehadcastoffheroldservantthatveryday?
Shelookedathimwithcoldastonishment，butwithoutfear。Washedrunkwithaguardiente，orhadhisjealousyturnedhisbrain?Hecontinuedgasping，butstillpressinghishatagainsthisbreast。
\"Howdareyou?\"shesaid，passionately。\"Whathasthatstrangertodowithmyaffairsoryourinsolence?\"
Hestoppedandgazedatherwithacertainadmiringloyalty。\"Ah!
so，\"hesaid，withadeepbreath，\"thesenoraisthenieceofheruncle。ShedoeswellnottofearHIM——adog，\"——withaslightshrug，——\"whoismorethanrepaidbythesenora\'scondescension。HE
darenotspeak!\"
\"Whodarenotspeak?Areyoumad?\"Shestoppedwithasuddenterribleinstinctofapprehension。\"Miguel，\"shesaidinherdeepestvoice，\"answerme，Icommandyou!Doyouknowanythingofthisman?\"
ItwasMiguel\'sturntorecoilfromhismistress。\"Ah，myGod!isitpossiblethesenorahasnotsuspect?\"
\"Suspect!\"saidJosephine，haughtily，albeitherproudheartwasbeatingquickly。\"ISUSPECTnothing。IcommandyoutotellmewhatyouKNOW。\"
Miguelturnedwitharapidgestureandclosedthedoor。Then，drawingherawayfromthewindow，hesaidinahurriedwhisper，——
\"IknowthatthatmanhasnotthenameofBaxter!IknowthathehasthenameofRandolph，ayounggambler，whohavewonalargesumatSacramento，and，fearingtoberobbedbythosehewonof，havewalktohimselfthroughtheroadindisguiseofaminer。IknowthatyourbrotherEstebanhavedecoyedhimhere，andhavefallenonhim。\"
\"Stop!\"saidtheyounggirl，hereyes，whichhadbeenfixedwiththeagonyofconviction，suddenlyflashingwiththeenergyofdespair。\"Andyoucallyourselftheservantofmyuncle，anddaresaythisofhisnephew?\"
\"Yes，senora，\"brokeouttheoldman，passionately。\"ItisbecauseIamtheservantofyourunclethatI，andIALONE，daresayittoyou!ItisbecauseIperjuredmysoul，andhaveperjuredmysoultodenyitelsewhere，thatInowdaretosayit!ItisbecauseI，yourservant，knewitfromoneofmycountrymen，whowasofthegang，——becauseI，Miguel，knewthatyourbrotherwasnotfarawaythatnight，andbecauseI，whomyouwoulddismiss，havepickedupthispocket-bookofRandolph\'sandyourbrother\'sringwhichhehavedropped，andIhavefoundbeneaththebodyofthemanyousentmetofetch。\"
Hedrewapacketfromhisbosom，andtosseditonthedeskbeforeher。
\"Andwhyhaveyounottoldmethisbefore?\"saidJosephine，passionately。
Miguelshruggedhisshoulders。
\"Whatgood?PossiblythisdogRandolphwoulddie。Possiblyhewouldlive——asalunatic。Possiblywouldhappenwhathashappened!
Thesenoraisbeautiful。TheAmericanhaseyes。IftheDonaJosephine\'sbeautyshallfinishwhatthesillyDonEsteban\'sarmhavebegun——whatmatter?\"
\"Stop!\"criedJosephine，pressingherhandsacrosshershudderingeyes。Then，uncoveringherwhiteandsetface，shesaidrapidly，\"Saddlemyhorseandyourownatonce。Thentakeyourchoice!
Comewithmeandrepeatallthatyouhavesaidinthepresenceofthatman，orleavethisranchforever。ForifIliveIshallgotohimtonight，andtellthewholestory。\"
Theoldmancastasingleglanceathismistress，shruggedhisshoulders，and，withoutaword，lefttheroom。Butintenminutestheywereontheirwaytothecountytown。
DaywasbreakingoverthedistantBurntRidge——afaint，ghostlylevel，likeafuneralpall，inthedimhorizon——astheydrewupbeforethegaunt，white-paintedpileofthehospitalbuilding。
Josephineutteredacry。Dr。Duchesne\'sbuggywasbeforethedoor。
Onitsverythresholdtheymetthedoctor，darkandirritated。
\"Thenyouheardthenews?\"hesaid，quickly。
Josephineturnedherwhitefacetothedoctor\'s。\"Whatnews?\"sheasked，inavoicethatseemedstrangelydeepandresonant。
\"Thepoorfellowhadanotherattacklastnight，anddiedofexhaustionaboutanhourago。Iwastoolatetosavehim。\"
\"Didhesayanything?Washeconscious?\"askedthegirl，hoarsely。
\"No；incoherent!NowIthinkofit，heharpedonthesamestringashedidthenightoftheoperation。Whatwasithesaid?youremember。\"
\"\'You\'llhavetokillmefirst，\'\"repeatedJosephine，inachokingvoice。
\"Yes；somethingabouthisdyingbeforehe\'dtell。Well，hecamebacktoitbeforehewentoff——theyoftendo。Youseemalittlehoarsewithyourmorningride。Youshouldtakecareofthatvoiceofyours。Bytheway，it\'sagooddeallikeyourbrother\'s。\"……
TheChatelaineofBurntRidgenevermarried。
THROUGHTHESANTACLARAWHEAT
CHAPTERI
Itwasanenormouswheat-fieldintheSantaClaravalley，stretchingtothehorizonlineunbroken。Themeridiansunshoneuponitwithoutglintorshadow；butattimes，whenastrongergustofthetradewindspassedoverit，therewasaquickslantingimpressionofthewholesurfacethatwas，however，asunlikeabillowasitselfwasunlikeasea。Evenwhenalighterzephyrplayeddownitslonglevel，theagitationwassuperficial，andseemedonlytomomentarilyliftaveilofgreenishmistthathungaboveitsimmovabledepths。Occasionalpuffsofdustalternatelyroseandfellalonganimaginarylineacrossthefield，asifacurrentofairwerepassingthroughit，butwereotherwiseinexplicable。
Suddenlyafaintshout，apparentlysomewhereinthevicinityoftheline，broughtoutaperfectlyclearresponse，followedbytheaudiblemurmurofvoices，whichitwasimpossibletolocalize。Yetthewholefieldwassodevoidofanysuggestionofhumanlifeormotionthatitseemedratherasifthevastexpanseitselfhadbecomesuddenlyarticulateandintelligible。
\"Wotsay?\"
\"Wheeloff。\"
\"Whare?\"
\"Intheroad。\"
Oneofthevoiceshereindicateditselfinthedirectionofthelineofdust，andsaid，\"Comin\'，\"andamansteppedoutfromthewheatintoabroadanddustyavenue。
Withhispresencethreethingsbecameapparent。
First，thatthepuffsofdustindicatedtheexistenceoftheinvisibleavenuethroughtheunlimitedandunfencedfieldofgrain；
secondly，thatthestalksofwheatoneithersideofitweresotallastoactuallyhideapassingvehicle；andthirdly，thatavehiclehadjustpassed，hadlostawheel，andbeendraggedpartlyintothegrainbyitsfrightenedhorse，whichadustymanwastryingtorestrainandpacify。
Thehorse，givenuptoequinehysterics，andevidentlyconvincedthattheordinarybuggybehindhimhadbeenchangedintosomedangerousandappallingcreation，stillplungedandkickedviolentlytoridhimselfofit。Themanwhohadsteppedoutofthedepthsofthewheatquicklycrossedtheroad，unhitchedthetraces，drewbackthevehicle，and，glancingatthetraveler\'sdustyanddisorderedclothes，said，withcurtsympathy:——
\"Spilt，too；butnothurt，eh?\"
\"No，neitherofus。Iwentoverwiththebuggywhenthewheelcramped，butSHEjumpedclear。\"
Hemadeagestureindicatingthepresenceofanother。Themanturnedquickly。Therewasasecondfigure，ayounggirlstandingbesidethegrainfromwhichhehademerged，embracingafewstalksofwheatwithonearmandahandinwhichshestillheldherparasol，whileshegraspedhergatheredskirtswiththeother，andtryingtofindasecurefootholdforhertwoneatnarrowslippersonacrumblingcakeofadobeabovethefathomlessdustoftheroadway。Herface，althoughannoyedanddiscontented，waspretty，andherlightdressandslimfigureweresuggestiveofacertainsuperiorcondition。
Theman\'smanneratoncesoftenedwithWesterncourtesy。Heswunghisbroad-brimmedhatfromhishead，andbenthisbodywiththeceremoniousnessofthecountryball-room。\"Ireckontheladyhadbettercomeuptotheshantyouto\'thedustandsuntillwekinhelpyougetthesethingsfixed，\"hesaidtothedriver。\"I\'llsendroundbytheroadforyourhoss，andhaveoneofminefetchupyourwagon。\"
\"Isitfar?\"askedthegirl，slightlyacknowledginghissalutation，withoutwaitingforhercompaniontoreply。
\"Onlyastepthisway，\"heanswered，motioningtothefieldofwheatbesideher。
\"WhatinTHERE?Inevercouldgointhere，\"shesaid，decidedly。
\"It\'saheapshorterthanbytheroad，andnotsodusty。I\'llgowithyou，andpilotyou。\"
Theyounggirlcastavexedlookathercompanionastheprobablecauseofallthistrouble，andshookherhead。Butatthesamemomentonelittlefootslippedfromtheadobeintothedustagain。
Sheinstantlyclamberedbackwithalittlefeminineshriek，andejaculated:\"Well，ofallthings!\"andthen，fixingherblueannoyedeyesonthestranger，askedimpatiently，\"Whycouldn\'tIgotherebytheroad\'nthewagon?Icouldmanagetoholdonandkeepin。\"
\"BecauseIreckonyou\'dfindittoopow\'fulhotwaitin\'heretillwegotroundtoye。\"
Therewasnodoubtitwasveryhot；theradiationfromthebakingroadwaybeatingupunderherparasol，andprickinghercheekbonesandeyeballslikeneedles。Shegaveafastidiouslittleshudder，furledherparasol，gatheredherskirtsstilltighter，facedabout，andsaid，\"Goon，then。\"Themanslippedbackwardsintotheranksofstalks，partingthemwithonehand，andholdingouttheotherasiftoleadher。Butsheevadedtheinvitationbyholdinghertightly-drawnskirtwithbothhands，andbendingherheadforwardasifshehadnotnoticedit。Thenextmomenttheroad，andeventhewholeouterworld，disappearedbehindthem，andtheyseemedfloatinginachokinggreentranslucentmist。
Buttheeffectwasonlymomentary；afewstepsfurthershefoundthatshecouldwalkwithlittledifficultybetweentheranksofstalks，whichwereregularlyspaced，andtheresemblancenowchangedtothatofalongpillaredconservatoryofgreenishglass，thattouchedallobjectswithitspervadinghue。Shealsofoundthatthecloseairaboveherheadwascontinuallyfreshenedbytheinterchangeofcurrentsoflowertemperaturefrombelow，——asifthewholevastfieldhadacirculationofitsown，——andthattheadobebeneathherfeetwasgratefullycooltohertread。Therewasnodust，ashehadsaid；whathadatfirsthalfsuffocatedherseemedtobesomestimulatingaromaofcreationthatfilledthenarrowgreenaisles，andnowimpartedastrangevigorandexcitementtoherasshewalkedalong。Meantimeherguidewasnotconversationallyidle。Now，nodoubt，shehadneverseenanythinglikethisbefore?
Itwasordinarywheat，onlyitwasgrownonadobesoil——therichestinthevalley。Thesestalks，shecouldseeherself，weretenandtwelvefeethigh。Thatwasthetrouble，theyallrantoomuchtostalk，thoughthegrainyieldwas\"suthen\'pow\'ful。\"Shecouldtellthattoherfriends，forhereckonedshewastheonlyyoungladythathadeverwalkedundersuchagrowth。PerhapsshewasnewtoCaliforny?Hethoughtsofromthestart。Well，thiswasCaliforny，andthiswasnottheleastofthewaysitcould\"layover\"everyothercountryonGod\'syearth。Manyfolksthoughtitwasthegoldandtheclimate，butshecouldseeforherselfwhatitcoulddowithwheat。Hewonderedifherbrotherhadevertold，herofit?No，thestrangerwasn\'therbrother。Norcousin，norcompany?No；onlythehireddriverfromaSanJosehotel，whowastakin\'herovertoMajorRandolph\'s。Yes，heknewtheoldmajor；theranchwasaprettyplace，nighuntothreemilesfurtheron。Nowthatheknewthedriverwasnorelationofhershedidn\'tmindtellingherthatthebuggywasa\"ratheroldconsarn，\"andthedriverdidn\'tknowhisbusiness。Yes，itmightbefixedupsoastotakeherovertothemajor\'s；therewasoneoftheirownmen——ayoungfellow——whocoulddoanythingthatCOULDbedonewithwoodandiron，——areg\'largenius!——andHE\'Dtackleit。Itmighttakeanhour，butshe\'dfinditquitecoolwaitingintheshanty。Itwasaroughplace，fortheyonlycampedoutthereduringtheseasontolookafterthecrop，andlivedattheirownhomestherestofthetime。Wasshegoingtostaylongatthemajor\'s?Henoticedshehadnotbroughthertrunkwithher。Hadsheknownthemajor\'swifelong?Perhapsshethoughtofsettlingintheneighborhood?
Allthisnaive，good-humoredquestioning——sooftencruellymisunderstoodasmerevulgarcuriosity，butasoftenthecourteousinstinctofsimpleunaffectedpeopletoentertainthestrangerbyinvitinghimtotalkofwhatconcernshimselfratherthantheirownselves——wasnevertheless，Ifear，metonlybymonosyllablesfromtheyoungladyoranimpatientquestioninreturn。Shescarcelyraisedhereyestothebroadjean-shirtedbackthatprecededherthroughthegrainuntilthemanabruptlyceasedtalking，andhismanner，withoutlosingitshalf-paternalcourtesy，becamegraver。
Shewasbeginningtobeconsciousofherincivility，andwastryingtothinkofsomethingtosay，whenheexclaimedwithaslightairofrelief，\"Hereweare!\"andtheshantysuddenlyappearedbeforethem。