A smile played for an instant in the soft shadows of her eyes and mouth as she recalled the abrupt withdrawal of the men.

Then her mouth straightened and her brows slightly bent.

It was certainly very unmannerly in them to go off in that way.

"Good heavens! couldn't they have stayed around without talking?
Surely it didn't require four men to go and bring up that wagon!" She picked up her parasol from the bench with an impatient little jerk.

Then she held out her ungloved hand into the hot sunshine beyond the door with the gesture she would have used had it been raining, and withdrew it as quickly--her hand quite scorched in the burning rays.