"Thank you," she mocked him. She put her hat on again and went back to the door-step. "Nevertheless, it is true that we have met before. Of course," she amended hastily, "I am not going to claim any obligation on either side because of that. But it suggested that I should come to you now instead of taking my chances with utter strangers."
"If you care to do me a very great favor," said Deveril, "you will tell me when you think you and I met."
"Certainly. I have no desire to make a mystery of so common an occurrence. Last May you were in Carson?"
"There was a dance. You went with Mildred Darrel. When you called for her she was out on the porch. Another girl was with her and you were introduced."
"After all, I was right!" he cried triumphantly. "You were in the shadows that the vines threw all over the porch. I don't believe I even heard your name. Most positively I did not catch a glimpse of your face."
She dismissed the subject with indifference.
"At least I have made my explanation. And now may I ask my question?" And, when he nodded: "Are they telling the truth when they say that Mexicali Joe stole his gold from Mr. Gallup's mine?"
He had expected something like that; all along he had felt that this girl with the bright daring eyes and that eager confident carriage was in Big Pine because she, equally with himself, was concerned with the one occurrence which for the moment made the community a place of interest to such as found no lure in the humdrum.
"Of course, you know that anything I could say in answer would be but one man's opinion?"
"Yes. But knowing these men, your opinion would be of value to me."
"Well, then, I'd gamble my boots that they're lying. And I can advance no reasons whatever for my belief. But there's your question answered."
"As I thought that it would be. I was sure of it before I came here. You make me doubly sure."
He, for the moment, was more interested in her than in Mexicali Joe and his gold.
"You don't belong up here in the mountains? You're a long way from your stamping-ground, aren't you?"
"Of course. I happened to be down in Rocky Bend when the news came and I caught the first stage up."
He tried to make her out. She did not look the type of woman who followed in the wake of such news, adventuring. But then you could never tell what a woman was inside by the outer peach-and-cream softness of her, as Babe Deveril very well understood.