Douglas pushed his hair back from his forehead. If only she would not plead with him! She never had done that. He did not believe that he could stand out against it.
"You mustn't think of going on alone, Jude," he said.
"Then you come as far as Bowdins' with me and get rested up for your trip back."
"I want you to come back with me," repeated Doug.
"No!" said Judith. "I'm never going back to Lost Chief!"
"Then come as far as the Mormon's. Get rested and get some clothes together and I'll take you out to Mountain City, and I'll loan you enough money to live on while you get a job, or I'll put you through college. Either you want. You've done a great stunt, Judith, crossing Black Devil in winter. But putting over a stunt isn't necessarily acting with judgment."
"How could I act with judgment, under the circumstances?" demanded
Judith.
Douglas looked at her with passionate earnestness.
"Judith," he said, "you must believe that I'm not criticizing you. I'm just trying to help you do the wise thing."
"Why can't I go on across the Basin and get the A.B. railroad at
Doty's?" asked Judith.