"Come along home quick! If I've got to face the music the quicker it's done the better," and was off down the road in a fair way to being as muddy when she reached Woodbine as she was when she began her cleansing processes at the branch, while up in one of the dormer windows of the big house her mother stood smiling to herself. It was one of the rare occasions when she had occasion to go to that room for some stored away winter clothing against Beverly's pending departure for boarding school. As the riders resumed their homeward journey she smiled and said softly: "How exactly like Beverly. Now will come confession and repentance and shall I be able to keep a sober face?" CHAPTER IV DIVIDED WAYS "Yes, I just forgot all about it, for of course I wasn't going to let the boys run me to death, and oh, mother, Apache can get over the ground! I never saw anything like the way he ran." "No, neither have _I_," replied Mrs. Ashby significantly. "You!" asked Beverly in surprise. Mrs. Ashby nodded though her lips twitched. Beverly's face clouded and her lips set. "How did you see me?" she demanded. "From the window of the north-east dormer chamber." The girl's dark eyes grew darker and signs of a pending tempest lowered as she asked: "Mother did you go up there to spy upon me? You almost _never_ go into that room. Didn't you believe me? Did you think I had to be watched? I think that was horrid, horrid of you. You know I didn't mean to break my word. I just forgot when the boys teased me about my calico plug and _you_ wouldn't have stood for that if you'd been in my place. You just know you wouldn't. You used to do crazier things when you were a girl for Uncle Athol has told me just dozens and dozens of them. Why did you spy upon me? Why? Why? I loathe being distrusted." The storm had burst with a vengeance. "Beverly hush and listen to me. If you will pause a moment you will know perfectly well that I had no idea of 'spying' upon you. Have I ever done so? You know better. It seems to me you are displaying some doubt also. If I did not know it to be the outcome of your excitement I should decline to make any explanation. As it is I'll tell you that I went up there to get out your winter things in order to have them remodeled. By chance I looked out of the window--it is a view rather worth looking upon, you'll admit--and, well I saw a moving picture instead of the usual quiet landscape and it was 'going some' as Athol would say." Mrs. Ashby smiled involuntarily as she recalled the spirited action of that moving picture. "Yes wasn't it?" cried Beverly eagerly. "And, oh that little Apache is some horse, mumsey."