"No, no. I have no name!" the other protested in the falsetto she had adopted to suit her impersonation; "I am only the wise old woman who tells the future and the past and reads the secrets . . ." But the white anger that glowed in Sally's countenance abashed her. The shrill tones trailed off into a mumble. She looked uneasily aside. "You must not be angry with the poor old wise woman," she stammered uncertainly. "You know very well what you have said," Sally told her in a low voice vibrant with indignation. "You know very well you have deliberately insulted me." "No, no!" "You know who I am and what your insinuation means, after what has happened here to-night. Miss Pride! Do you dare accuse me--?" "Oh, no-please!" Mercedes begged, aghast, quaking in realisation of the enormity of her mistake. "I didn't think--I didn't know you--I didn't mean--" "That," Sally cut in tensely, "is a deliberate falsehood. You inveigled me into this for the sole purpose of insulting me. Now I mean to have you repeat your accusation before witnesses. I shall inform Mrs. Gosnold--" "Oh, no, Miss Manwaring! I beg of you, no! I didn't mean what you think, indeed I didn't!" Sally made to speak, choked upon her indignation, and gulped. "That's a lie!" she declared huskily; and rising fled the place. She went a few hasty paces blindly, then remembering she mustn't make an exhibition of herself, however great the provocation, checked her steps and went on at a less conspicuous and precipitate rate. But still her vision was dark with tears of rage and mortification, and still her bosom heaved convulsively. Now and again she stumbled. Twice since nightfall the abominable accusation had been flung into her face, the unthinkable thing imputed to her, and this last time out of sheer, gratuitous spleen, the jealous spite of a mean-minded old maid. For Miss Pride had no such excuse as Adele Standish had for thinking Sally capable of infamy--unless indeed, Mrs. Standish had proved false to her pledge and had told people. But no; she'd never do that; not, at least, while the settlement of her insurance claim remained in abeyance. The brutality of it! A strong hand closing unceremoniously on her wrist brought Sally to a standstill within two paces of the low stone wall that guarded the brink of the cliff. "Look where you're going, Miss; Manwaring!" Trego's voice counselled her quietly. Then, seeing that she yielded readily, he released her. "I beg your pardon," he said, "but in another minute if I hadn't taken the liberty of stopping you, you might have hurt yourself." She managed to mutter an ungracious "Thank you." "It's none of my business," Trego volunteered with some heat, "but I'd like to know what that vicious old vixen found to say to upset you this way." "Oh, you were watching."