Dorman, scowling at them over his shoulder, unconsciously did his divinity a service. Beatrice pursed her lips in a way that drove Keith nearly wild, and took up the weapon of silence.
“You said you women are alone—where is milord?” Keith began again, after two minutes of lying there watching her.
“Sir Redmond is in Helena, on business. He's been making arrangements to lease a lot of land.”
“Ah-h!” Keith snapped a twig off a dead willow.
“We look for him home to-day, and Dick drove in to meet the train.”
“So the Pool has gone to leasing land?” The laugh had gone out of Keith's eyes; they were clear and keen.
“Yes—the plan is to lease the Pine Ridge country, and fence it. I suppose you know where that is.”
“I ought to,” Keith said quietly. “It's funny Dick never mentioned it.”
“It isn't Dick's idea,” Beatrice told him. “It was Sir Redmond's. Dick is rather angry, I think, and came near quarreling with Sir Redmond about it. But English capital controls the Pool, you know, and Sir Redmond controls the English capital, so he can adopt whatever policy he chooses. The way he explained the thing to me, it seems a splendid plan—don't you think so?”
“Yes.” Keith's tone was not quite what he meant it to be; he did not intend it to be ironical, as it was. “It's a snap for the Pool, all right. It gives them a cinch on the best of the range, and all the water. I didn't give milord credit for such business sagacity.”