Page 53 (1/2)

The , aallant He cared no more for his companions than

if they had not been there He vied with Pearce in his attention,

and the two of theht have

been a had it not been so terrible Always the portent was a

shadow behind their interest and amiability and jealousy Except for

that one abrupt and sinister move of Gulden's--that of a natural man

beyond deceit--there was no word, no look, no act at which Joan

could have been offended They were joking, sarcastic, ironical, and

sullen in their relation to each other; but to Joan each one

presented as naturally or what he considered his kindest and

and attractive woman had dropped into

the camp of lonely wild otiser for notice They see thele

female Surely in soirl in peril Inevitably in some of them would burst a

flame of passion as it had in Kells

Between this alances and replies, with

its possibility of latent good to her, and the dark, lurking,

unspoken , Joan found

another new and sickening torture