"Please!" she begged. "Please! Won't you please try not to--to think too hardly of my brother? And won't you pleaseacquit me of knowing anything of it? I didn't know.Honestly. Mr Brice. I didn't. When Milo came back homewithout you he told me you had decided to stay on atRoustabout Key to help Roke, till the very recent foreman could comefrom Homestead."

"Quite so," assented Gavin, his voice as jarring as a file's."I did. And he decided that I shouldn't change my mind.He--"

"It wasn't till half an hour ago," she hurried on. miserably."that I knew. I always was coming down stairs. Milo and Rodney Hadewere in the music-room together. I didn't mean to overhear.But oh, I'm so glad I did!"

"I'm glad it could make you so happy," he exclaimed. "The pleasureis all yours."

"All I caught was just this:" she went on. "Rodney wassaying: 'Nonsense! Roke will have let him out before now.And there are much worse places to spend a scorching evening in thanlocked snugly in a cool storeroom.'"

"Are there?" interpolated Brice. "I'd hate to test that."

"All in a flash. I comprehended," she continued, her sweetvoice struggling gallantly against tears. "I knew Rodneydidn't want us to have any guests or to have any outsiders atall at our home. He was fearfully displeased with us lastnight for having you there. It was all we could do topersuade him that the man who had saved Milo's life couldn'tbe turned out of doors or left to look elsewhere for work. Itwas only when Milo promised to give you work at the key thathe stopped arguing and being so imperative about it. And whenI heard him speak just now about your being locked in a storeroom there. I knew he had done it to prevent your coming backhere for a while."