“Colin MacLeod!” he bawled.
And with a rush that betrayed his impatience, the boss of the Busters came out of his hiding-place up the trail.
The girl gave a sharp cry of joy at sight of him.
But MacLeod, half-way to them, saw the girl on the horse and stopped as suddenly as he had started. Even at that distance they noted that his face worked with piteous embarrassment.
“You’ve given in your promise, MacLeod! Don’t forget that!” roared Britt. “There’s the boy for you, my girl! He wants to marry you. Go with him!”
“And you’ll be a fool of a gir-rl if ye do!” squalled a voice. It was Tommy Eye, yelling from the top of the Durfy hovel, to which he had clambered unobserved. “I know I’m a drunk. I know I ain’t worth anything to anybody!” he gabbled. “But ye saved my life once, Mr. Wade, when I didn’t know it!” He flapped entreating hands at Wade, and that young man stepped in front of the furious Britt with such determination on his face that the woods tyrant halted. “But ye’ll be a fool gir-rl, I say! I was under the bunk last night when they planned it. He don’t love ye! I heard him say so. He called you names! Colin MacLeod, ye ain’t the liar enough to stand out here and say ye didn’t.”
MacLeod, his adoring eyes on Nina Ide, had no word to say. The features of Kate Arden, who stared at him with her heart in her eyes, twisted with a promise of bitter tears. This, then, was the girl of Castonia, with whom they had taunted her!
“It’s only for grudge and money he’s goin’ to marry you!” persisted Tommy. “May I rest forever in purgatory with no masses for my soul if that ain’t the truth!”
With the instinct of the animal repulsed, the girl read more in the face of MacLeod than she understood from the declaration of Tommy Eye.
She looked from face to face again, but the flame was gone from her eyes. There they stood, the silent, hostile, bitter phalanx from outside—oppressors and scorners. There she stood—alone!