With the suddenness of a blow, came the thought that when she did choose him--when finally she yielded to his pleading and consented to become his wife, it was because he had unexpectedly shown some of the attributes that were the inborn heritage of the Texan. Could it be that his great love for her had found no answering chord in her heart? If she had loved the Texan, why had she married him? Could it be that she did not even now take him seriously? Was her love so shallow a thing that it must be fanned into a flame by the winds of high adventure? He knew that the commonplaces of society bored her to extinction. Had the humdrum existence of civilization palled on her until her heart in very desperation had turned to her knight of the boundless plains. Had she deliberately planned this journey in order to be once more with the Texan? Had their meeting--their flight, even, been prearranged? Endicott groaned aloud, and the next moment a hand was placed on his shoulder. He leaped to his feet and peered into the face that stood vaguely outlined in the darkness. "_Oui_, A'm t'ink you don' 'member Ol' Bat." "Bat! Bat!" cried the man, "remember you! I guess I do remember you!" He seized a leathery hand in his own. "I'd rather see you, now, than any man in the world. What do you make of it, Bat? Tell me--what has happened?" "_Oui_, A'm t'ink dat 'bout tam' A'm com' 'long. A'm t'ink you feel pret' bad, _non_? A'm com' 'long w'en de men com' back for no kin ketch Tex." "You heard what they said?" "_Oui_, A'm hear dat." "Do you think they're alive?" "_Oui, bien!_ A'm stan' clos' I kin git beside de hoss, an' A'm hear dat man say de boat floatin' off, an' he ain' gon' spit 'bout dat. You com' 'long Ol' Bat--we fin' um." Endicott thrust his face close and stared straight into the half-breed's eyes: "Have you been with Tex all the time--this past year?" "_Oui_, him wagon boss on Y Bar, an' me, A'm cook." "Would you have known it if he had been writing letters? Has he ever talked about--about--my wife?" "_Non_, he ain' git lettaire. He don' talk 'bout dat 'oman. He lov' her too mooch----" "_What!_" Endicott grasped the half-breed's arm and shook him roughly. "_Oui_, he lov' dat 'oman so bad he ain' talk 'bout dat." "You mean, you think they've planned it all out to run away together?" Bat regarded the other gravely: "W'at you t'ink?" he asked, abruptly. Endicott found it strangely hard to answer the direct question: "I--I don't know what to think." "W'at you t'ink?" insisted the half-breed. "What can I think?" cried the man in desperation. "She planned to be here today--and she met him here--and they are gone! What do you think?"