"Sorry, but there was no other way out of it," he said a trifle
hoarsely. "Now I've got to size up the ruin, if you'll excuse me."

Deringham turned away with his daughter in time to see a dripping
object crawl out on the opposite side of the river. "Are you still
pleased with your tame bear?" he said ironically.

The girl laughed a little, though her colour was perhaps a trifle
higher than usual. "There is a good deal of the beast still unsubdued
in him," she said.

Deringham nodded. "Still, he had some provocation, and I think he was
right. So far as I could follow the discussion, the other man meant to
question his ability to dismiss him, with the pistol."

Alice Deringham said nothing further upon the subject until Alton
joined them as they sat out on the verandah that night. "You are not
pleased with me?" he said.

"There is nothing to warrant me telling you so, and I may have been
mistaken," said the girl reflectively.

"No," said Alton, "that's the pity; but couldn't you remember just now
and then that you are friends with me?"

"Things of this kind make it a little difficult," said Miss Deringham.

"Well," said Alton, "that machine cost me twelve months' grim
self-denial, and the fellow broke it out of temper because I spoke to
him."