" There is no village within twenty miles," he said,
" and we must sleep in the pass."

Beverly's voice faltered. " Out here in aU this

awful " Then she caught herself quickly. It

came to her suddenly that she must not let these men
see that she was apprehensive. Her voice was a trifle
shrill and her eyes glistened with a strange new light



26 BEVERLY OF GRAUSTARK

as she went on, changing her tack completely : " How
Tomantic! I've often wanted to do something like
this."

The officer looked bewildered, and said nothing.
Aunt Fanny was speechless. Later on, when the
lieutenant had gone ahead to confer with the guides
about the suspicious actions of a small troop of horse-
men they had seen, Beverly confided to the old negress
that she was frightened almost out of her boots, but
that she'd die before the men should see a sign of
cowardice in a Calhoun. Aunt Fanny was not so
proud and imperious. It was with difficulty that her
high-strung young mistress suppressed the wails that
long had been under restraint in Aunt Fanny's huge
and turbulent bosom.
