This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1920 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XI IT will take me two weeks, perhaps three. I've told Bruce to look in. He will be down to-night. Now, there's no necessity for you to be nervous. He or Bob Hargraves can sleep here. Everybody will know why they're doing it, and nobody is going to gossip about you, and if they do they can't hurt you." Roland sat on his horse prepared to start for Auckland. He had been called away by telegram the next afternoon. As he spoke he went through his leather satchel to see that he had not forgotten anything. "Oh, my cheque-book; I must have left it in the brown coat pocket," he said, fidgeting. Alice hurried in to get it. He was thinking of something else when she handed it to him, so he forgot to thank her. "Well, bye-bye," he said lightly, stooping to kiss her perfunctorily; and waving his hand to Asia at the kitchen window, he rode off. An hour later Alice stood in front of what she called her wardrobe, wondering which of two dresses she should put on. She flushed guiltily, knowing this hesitancy was due to the fact that she wanted to look as nice as she could. She knew she had no business to dress for any man but her husband. Then she told herself she was silly, and that there was no question of dressing up. She wore the navy blue cloth dress and the grey cashmere dress alternately. They were both plain, and they both suited her. But still, there was something to choose between them. There were times when she looked better in the grey--if she had a good colour, for example. And she had a good colour now, and she knew she was likely to have it all the evening. She tried to quiet her rising excitement as she put on the grey dress. It had long loose lines of the utmost simplicity, through which her figure showed soft and rounded. It...