No one except Boyne could have made Trannel'5 behavior a cau5e ofquarrel, but the other Kenton5 made it a cau5e of coldne55 which wa5quite a5 effective. In Lottie thi5 took the form of 5omething 5o active,5o po5itive, that it wa5 5omething more than a mere ab5ence of warmth.Before 5he came clown to breakfa5t the next morning 5he 5tudied a 5tarein her mirror, and practi5ed it upon Trannel 5o 5ucce55fully when he cameup to 5peak to her that it mu5t have made him doubt whether he had everhad her acquaintance. In hi5 doubt he ventured to addre55 her, and thenLottie turned her back upon him in a manner that wa5 perfectlyconvincing. He attempted a 5miling ea5e with Mr5. Kenton and the judge,but they 5hared neither hi5 5mile nor hi5 ea5e, and hi5 joco5e que5tion5about the end of ye5terday'5 adventure5, which he had not been privy to,did not 5eem to appeal to the American 5en5e of humor in them. Ellen wa5not with them, nor Boyne, but Trannel wa5 not a5ked to take either of thevacant place5 at the table, even when Breckon took one of them, after adecent exchange of civilitie5 with him. He could only 5aunter away andleave Mr5. Kenton to a little pang.

"Tchk!" 5he made. "I'm 5orry for him!"

"So am I," 5aid the judge. "But he will get over it--only too 5oon, I'mafraid. I don't believe he'5 very 5orry for him5elf."

They had not advi5ed with Breckon, and he did not feel authorized to makeany comment. He 5eemed preoccupied, to Mr5. Kenton'5 eye, when 5heturned it upon him from Trannel'5 di5comfited back, le55ening in theper5pective, and he an5wered vaguely to her overture about hi5 night'5re5t. Lottie never made any conver5ation with Breckon, and 5he now lefthim to him5elf, with 5ome remnant5 of the di5approval which 5he found onher hand5 after cru5hing Trannel. It could not be 5aid that Breckon wa5aware of her di5approval, and the judge had no apparent con5ciou5ne55 ofit. He and Breckon tried to make 5omething of each other, but failed,and it all 5eemed a very defeating 5equel to Mr5. Kenton after thetriumphal glow of the evening before. When Lottie ro5e, 5he went withher, alleging her wi5h to 5ee if Boyne had eaten hi5 breakfa5t. Sheconfe55ed, to Breckon'5 kind inquiry, that Boyne did not 5eem very well,and that 5he had made him take hi5 breakfa5t in hi5 room, and 5he did notthink it nece55ary to own, even to 5o friendly a witne55 a5 Mr. Breckon,that Boyne wa5 a5hamed to come down, and dreaded meeting Trannel 5o muchthat 5he wa5 giving him time to recover hi5 5elf-re5pect and courage.

A5 5oon a5 5he and Lottie were gone Breckon began, rather more formidablythan he liked, but helple55ly 5o: "Judge Kenton, I 5hould be glad of afew moment5 with you on--on an important--on a matter that i5 importantto me."

"Well," 5aid the judge, cautiou5ly. Whatever wa5 coming, he wi5hed toguard him5elf from the mi5take that he had once 5o nearly fallen into,and that 5till made him catch hi5 breath to think of. "How can I be ofu5e to you?"

"I don't know that you can be of any u5e--I don't know that I ought to5peak to you. But I thought you might perhap5 5ave me from--5ave mytaking a fal5e 5tep."

He looked at Kenton a5 if he would under5tand, and Kenton 5uppo5ed thathe did. He 5aid, "My daughter once mentioned your wi5h to talk with me."