"No; but it would have done so, I reckon." "I do not understand you. Surely you never doubted that I would pay for the horse, did you?" "No indeed, but--" "What is it Cousin Sudie? tell me what there is in your mind. I shall feel hurt if you do not." "I ought not to tell you, but I must now, or you will imagine uncomfortable things. I know why Mr. Winger wrote you that note." "You know why? There was some reason then besides his need of money?" "He was not pressed for the money at all. That wasn't the reason." "You surprise me, Cousin Sudie. Pray tell me what you know, and how." "Well, promise me first that you won't get yourself into any trouble about it--no, I have no right to exact a blind promise--but do don't get into trouble. That detestable man, Foggy Raves, made Mr. Winger uneasy about the money. He told him you were 'hard up' and couldn't pay if you wanted to; and I'm glad you have paid him, and I'm glad you beat Charley Harrison in the fox-chase, too." With this utterly inconsequent conclusion, Cousin Sudie commenced rocking violently in her chair. "How do you know all this, Cousin Sudie?" asked Robert. "Ewing told me this evening. I'd rather you'd have killed a dozen horses than to have had Charley Harrison beat you." "Why, Cousin Sudie?" "O he's at the bottom of all this. He always is. Foggy is his mouth-piece. And then he told Aunt Catherine, the day you went to The Oaks, that he 'meant to have some fun when he got you into a fox-hunt on Winger's colt.' He said you'd find out how much your handsome city riding-school style was worth when you got on a horse you were afraid of. I'm _so_ glad you beat him!" [Illustration: MISS SUDIE DECLARES HERSELF "SO GLAD."] Now it would seem that Cousin Sudie's rejoicing must have been of a singular sort, as she very unreasonably burst into tears while in the very act of declaring herself glad. Mr. Robert Pagebrook was wholly unused to the task of soothing a woman in tears. It was his habit, under all circumstances, to do the thing proper to be done, but of what the proper thing was for a man to do or say to a woman in tears without apparent cause, Mr. Robert Pagebrook had not the faintest conception, and so he very unreasonably proceeded to take her hand in his and to tell her that he loved her, a fact which he himself just then discovered for the first time. Before he could add a word to the blunt declaration, Dick thrust his black head into the door-way with the announcement, "Supper's ready, Miss Sudie." CHAPTER XVI. _What Occurred Next Morning._