"When you spoke to me the day you left, you must have thought me hard and cruel.

When I tell you that I thought you were alluding to Jessie and some feeling you had for her--" "For Jessie!" echoed George.
"You will understand that--that--" "That what ?" said George, drawing nearer to her.
"That I was only speaking as she might have spoken had you talked to her of me," added Christie hurriedly, slightly backing her horse away from him.
But this was not so easy, as George was the better rider, and by an imperceptible movement of his wrist and foot had glued his horse to her side.

"He will go now," she had thought, but he didn't.
"We must ride on," she suggested faintly.
"No," he said with a sudden dropping of his boyish manner and a slight lifting of his head.

"We must ride together no further, Miss Carr.

I must go back to the work I am hired to do, and you must go on with your party, whom I hear coming.