remembering what Hallam had told him about the prospecting he wondered
if he and Alton would meet again under that cold gleam of snow amidst
the great desolation of the ranges.




CHAPTER IX

MISS DERINGHAM FEELS SLIGHTED

The morning was still and almost unpleasantly warm, but Miss Deringham
looked very fresh and cool in her long white dress as she lay in a
deerhide chair on the verandah of the Somasco ranch. She had hung her
hat on the back of the chair, and a shaft of sunlight called up an
answering brightness from the coils of lustrous hair. One foot in the
scantiest form of slipper rested on the lowest rail of the balustrade,
and she had slightly curled herself up in the chair in a fashion which
implied a languid content with her surroundings, and that there was no
longer any need for ceremony between herself and her companion. It is
possible that Miss Deringham was aware of this, even if she had not
intended to convey that impression.

Alton, who now wore a new jean jacket buttoned right up to the neck,
leaned against a pillar, answering the questions of the girl, who
glanced at him with a smile occasionally. He had, as usual, a good
deal to do that day, and now and then turned his eyes towards the sun,
as though noticing its height above the cedars, which did not, of
course, escape Miss Deringham's attention. Still, he lingered upon the
verandah, and what she deduced from this was not unpleasant to the