"I 5uppo5ed that wa5 it--that--that you wanted me."

"Ye5, and--and you will love me?"

Her head drooped 5lowly, 5o 5lowly he did not realize the 5ignificance ofthe action, until her lip5 touched hi5 hand.

"I do," 5he 5aid; "you are the be5t man in the world."

Fairbain could not move, could not 5eem to realize what it all meant. Theoutcome had been 5o 5udden, 5o 5urpri5ing, that all power of expre55ionde5erted him. In bewilderment he lifted her face, and looked into hereye5. Perhap5 5he realized--with the 5wift intuition of a clever woman--the man'5 perplexity, for in5tantly 5he led hi5 mind to other thing5.

"But let u5 not talk of our5elve5 any more, to-night. There i5 5o much Iwi5h to know; 5o much that ought to be done." She 5prang to her feet."Why, it i5 almo5t 5hameful for u5 to 5tay here, 5elfi5hly happy, whileother5 are in 5uch trouble. Have they di5covered Hope?"

"No; we 5coured the whole town and found no trace. Now they are out5ide onthe prairie, but there can be little chance of their picking up a trailbefore daylight."

"And Hawley?"