The result was a certain constraint and embarrassment in her manner, which, however, had the laudable effect of limiting Emile's attention to significant glances, and was no doubt variously interpreted by the others.

But she satisfied her conscience by determining to make a confidence of her sympathy to the major on the first opportunity.
This she presently found when the others were preoccupied; the major greeting her with a somewhat careworn face, but a voice whose habitual kindness was unchanged.

When he had condoled with her on the terrifying phenomenon that had marred her visit to the ranch,--and she could not help impatiently noticing that he too seemed to have accepted his wife's theory that she had been half deliriously frightened,--he regretted that her father had not concluded to come down to the ranch, as his practical advice would have been invaluable in this emergency.

She was about to eagerly explain why, when it occurred to her that Mrs.Randolph had only given him a suppressed version of the telegram, and that she would be betraying her, or again taking sides in this partisan divided home.
With some hesitation she at last alluded to the accident to the artesian well.

The major did not ask her how she had heard of it; it was a bad business, he thought, but it might not be a total loss.