“Little Thunder?” exclaimed the Superintendent, and his tone indicated something more than surprise. “Then there will be something doing. And where does this—ah—this—ah—friend of yours propose to locate himself?”
“This friend of mine,” replied Raven, with a hard gleam in his eye and a bitter smile curling his lips, “who would gladly adorn his person with my scalp if he might, will not ask my opinion as to his location, and probably not yours either, Mr. Superintendent.” As Raven ceased speaking he once more rose from his chair, put on his leather riding coat and took up his cap and gauntlets. “Farewell, Mrs. Cameron,” he said, offering her his hand. “Believe me, it has been a rare treat to see you and to sit by your fireside for one brief half-hour.”
“Oh, but Mr. Raven, you are not to think of leaving us before dinner. Why this haste?”
“The trail I take,” said Raven in a grave voice, “is full of pitfalls and I must take it when I can. The Superintendent knows,” he added. But his smile awoke no response in the Superintendent, who sat rigidly silent.
“It's a mighty cold day outside,” interjected Smith, “and blowing up something I think.”
“Oh, hang it, Raven!” blurted out Cameron, who sat stupidly gazing into the fire, “Stay and eat. This is no kind of day to go out hungry. It is too beastly cold.”
“Thanks, Cameron, it IS a cold day, too cold to stay.”
“Do stay, Mr. Raven,” pleaded Moira.
He turned swiftly and looked into her soft brown eyes now filled with warm kindly light.
“Alas, Miss Cameron,” he replied in a low voice, turning his back upon the others, his voice and his attitude seeming to isolate the girl from the rest of the company, “believe me, if I do not stay it is not because I do not want to, but because I cannot.”