"Well," he said at last, "I like him a lot, anyway."
"What's that?" said Calumet, startled. He had forgotten about the dog.
He had been wondering if Betty had gone to bed, or whether she was in
the sitting room, reading, as she was accustomed to doing. A light
came through the sitting room door, and Calumet had been watching it,
momentarily expecting to see Betty's shadow. "What's that?" he
repeated. "You like him, anyway? Why?"
"Because you gave him to me," said Bob, blushing at the admission.
Calumet looked at him, sourly at first; and then, with a crafty grin on
his face as he watched the sitting room door, he raised his voice so
that if Betty were in the sitting room she could not help hearing it.
"Well," he said, "you like him because I gave him to you, eh? Shucks.
I reckon that ain't the reason Betty likes him."
Apparently Bob had no answer to make to this, for he kept silent. But
Calumet saw a shadow cross the sitting room floor, and presently he
heard a light footstep on the stairs. He smiled and went on eating.
CHAPTER XIII
SUSPICION
"If the repairs on the ranchhouse were not finished by this time you
would not be reading this," began a letter drawn from a tightly sealed
envelope Betty had given Calumet after he and Dade had completed the
painting.
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