'Joseph knows nothing,' she said at last quietly. 'And it was over a year ago.'

A year without word. During it she had seldom dared to think of Merne. Only sometimes in the twilight or that hazy hour between sleeping and waking she saw his face.

'Naturally it has been a year,' said Aaron sharply, 'since Lewis left last July for the West.'

'Is there—have you heard any news?'

In spite of herself her voice betrayed her, and Aaron was annoyed. 'Only that the expedition left St. Louis last spring and was at once swallowed up into the wilderness.'

No doubt he's dead, thought Aaron with satisfaction. The subject displeased him excessively. She had twice, under the influence of this lanky captain, both startled and disappointed him. It should never happen again. He would sec to it that there was no further meeting—ever, if by some unlucky chance neither the Indians nor the wild beasts nor the manifold dangers of such a journey did not neatly dispose of the problem.

In the meantime he exerted his usual skill at forgetting the unpleasant and effaced the matter from his mind. There were topics of vital importance to be discussed.

Gampy, just then tiring of his game, raced up on the porch and clambered on his grandfather's lap. 'See watch,' he demanded, tugging at the gold repeater in Aaron's pocket. 'See tick-tick'. Aaron presented it to him, and laughed as the child held it to his ear with an expression of infantile rapture. 'Pretty watch, nice big gold watch,' he crooned.

Aaron twisted the soft curls and pinched the plump little cheek. 'I'm glad to see that he speaks plainly. Have you taught him to read yet?'

Theo started. For once she found it hard to follow her father's mercurial changes of mood. He played now with the child, joggling him up and down, poking a teasing finger into the delighted Gampy's ribs, as though the child's amusement were the only consideration in the world.

'Well, can he read?' repeated Aaron. 'And I trust you and Eleanore are teaching him French.'

'Oh, Father! He is only two,' she protested.

Aaron stilled the child's laughter with a smiling headshake. 'That's enough now, sir. You will play something quieter. We'll go down on the lawn and I'll build you a castle with your stones.—He is none too young to be learning the proper habits of study and application,' he added to Theo. 'He is a precocious child and will do us great credit if you arc not too lazy to teach him. '

'Castle, castle, castle!' shrieked Gampy, tugging at Aaron's hand. 'Make castle for Gampy.'