He would have hustled out Malcolm or any other man long before this, and there would have been an end to it.

But Betty had made it quite plain to him that she did not purpose to leave, and, since he had had little experience with women, he was decidedly at a loss to discover a way to deal with her.

That he could not rout her by force was certain, for he could not lay hands on a woman in violence, and he was by no means certain that he wanted her to leave, because if she did it was highly probable that he would never get his hands on the money his father had left.

Of course he could search for the money, but there came to his mind now tales of treasure that had never been recovered, and he was reluctant to take any chances.

On the other hand, he was facing the maddening prospect of living for a year under the eyes of a determined young woman who was to be the sole judge of his conduct.