And he went down the hall with a little swagger. Mr. Gainor felt that he had risen admirably to a great situation. As a matter of fact, he had. Elizabeth turned to Vance. "I wish you'd find Terence," she said, "and tell him that I'm waiting for him in the library." CHAPTER 16 Vance went gloomily to the room of Terry and called him out. The boy was pale, but perfectly calm, and he looked older, much older. "There was a great deal of talk," said Vance--he must make doubly sure of Terence now. "And they even started a little lynching party. But we stopped all that. Gainor made a very nice little speech about you. And now Elizabeth is waiting for you in the library." Terry bit his lip. "And she?" he asked anxiously. "There's nothing to worry about," Vance assured him. "She'll probably read you a curtain lecture. But at heart she's proud of you because of the way Gainor talked. You can't do anything wrong in my sister's eyes." Terry breathed a great sigh of relief. "But I'm not ashamed of what I've done. I'm really not, Uncle Vance. I'm afraid that I'd do it over again, under the same circumstances." "Of course you would. Of course you would, my boy. But you don't have to blurt that out to Elizabeth, do you? Let her think it was the overwhelming passion of the moment; something like that. A woman likes to be appealed to, not defied. Particularly Elizabeth. Take my advice. She'll open her arms to you after she's been stern as the devil for a moment." The boy caught his hand and wrung it. "By the Lord, Uncle Vance," he said, "I certainly appreciate this!" "Tush, Terry, tush!" said Vance. "You'll find that I'm with you and behind you in more ways than you'd ever guess." He received a grateful glance as they went down the broad stairs together. At the door to the library Vance turned away, but Elizabeth called to him and asked him in. He entered behind Terence Hollis, and found Elizabeth sitting in her father's big chair under the window, looking extremely fragile and very erect and proud. Across her lap was a legal-looking document. Vance knew instantly that it was the will she had made up in favor of Terence. He had been preparing himself for the worst, but at this his heart sank. He lowered himself into a chair. Terence had gone straight to Elizabeth. "I know I've done a thing that will cut you deeply, Aunt Elizabeth," he said. "I'm not going to ask you to see any justice on my side. I only want to ask you to forgive me, because--" Elizabeth was staring straight at and through her protege. "Are you done, Terence?" This time Vance was shocked into wide-eyed attention. The voice of Elizabeth was hard as iron. It brought a corresponding stiffening of Terence. "I'm done," he said, with a certain ring to his voice that Vance was glad to hear. It brought a flush into the pale cheeks of Elizabeth. "It is easy to see that you're proud of what you have done, Terence."