One or two shook their heads mechanically, and returned to their suspended labor.
He said, coolly:-- "Nobody here seems to." She felt that they were lying.

She was only a woman against five men.
She was only a petty domestic tyrant; she might have been a larger one.
But she had all the courage of that possibility.
"Major Randolph and my son are away," she went on, drawing herself erect.

"But I know that the major will pay liberally if these men will search the field, besides making it all right with your--EMPLOYERS--for the loss of time." Dawson uttered a single word in a low voice to the man nearest him, who apparently communicated it to the others, for the four men stopped unloading, and moved away one after the other--even the driver joining in the exodus.

Mrs.Randolph smiled sarcastically; it was plain that these people, with all their boasted independence, were quite amenable to pecuniary considerations.

Nevertheless, as Dawson remained looking quietly at her, she said:-- "Then I suppose they've concluded to go and see ?" "No; I've sent them away so that they couldn't HEAR." "Hear what ?" "What I've got to say to you." She looked at him suddenly.