He halted and looked at them, whereat they both reddened.
Then he grinned widely and was gone.
Betty stood at one side of the sitting-room door, Calumet at the other.
Both were in the kitchen. Bob, also, was in the kitchen, though
Calumet and Betty did not see him; so it appeared to Bob. Having some
recollection of a certain light in Betty's eyes on the night that
Calumet had brought home the puppy, Bob's wisdom impelled him to
compare it with the light that was in them now, and he suspected--he
knew--
And so, very gently, very quietly, with infinite care and patience,
lest they become aware of his presence, he edged toward the kitchen
door, his rifle in hand. Still they did not seem to notice him, and so
he passed through the door, into the dining-room, backed to the stairs,
and so left them.
The silence between Betty and Calumet continued, and they still stood
where they had stood when Bob had stolen away, for they heard sounds
outside that warned them of the approach of Dade and Malcolm.
But it seemed they did not see Dade and Malcolm stop at one of the
kitchen windows, and certainly they did not hear the whispered
conversation that was carried on between the two.
"Shucks," said Dade; "it begins to look like Cal an' Betty's quarrel
is--"
"I reckon we won't go in," decided Malcolm; "not right now.
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