“No! Not a single foot!” she blazed, as if confronted with something beyond his words. After that she hid her face in her hands. A long silence ensued. Adam, watching her, saw when the tremble and heave of her breast subsided. At length she looked up again, apparently composed. “Perhaps I talked more than I should have. But no matter. It was necessary to tell you something. For you came here to help an unknown woman. Not to anyone else have I breathed a word of the true state of my feelings. My husband watches me like a hawk, but not yet does he know my fears. I’ll thank you, when you speak to him, if you stay here so long, not to tell him anything I’ve said.” “Mrs. Virey, I’ll stay as long as you are here,” said Adam, simply. The simplicity of his speech, coupled with the tremendous suggestion in the fact of his physical presence, his strength and knowledge to serve her despite her bitter repudiation, seemed again to knock at the heart of her femininity. In the beginning of human life on the earth, and through its primal development, there was always a man to protect a woman. But subtly and inevitably there had been in Adam’s words an intimation that Magdalene Virey stood absolutely alone. More, for with spirit, if not with body, she was fighting Death Valley, and also some terrible relation her husband bore to her. “Sir--you would stay here--on a possible chance of serving me?” she whispered. “Yes,” replied Adam. “Virey will not like that.” “I’m not sure, but I suspect it’ll not make any difference to me what he likes.” “If you are kind to me he will drive you away,” she went on, with agitation. “Well, as he’s your husband he may prevent me from being kind, but he can’t drive me away.” “But suppose I ask you to go?” “If that’s the greatest kindness I can do you--well, I’ll go.... But do you ask me?” “I--I don’t know. I may be forced to--not by _him_, but by my pride,” she said, desperately. “Oh, I’m unstrung! I don’t know what to say.... After all, just the sound of a kind voice makes me a coward. O God! if people in the world only knew the value of kindness! I never did know.... This desert of horrors teaches the truth of life.... Once I had the world at my feet!... Now I break and bow at the sympathy of a stranger!” “Never mind your pride,” said Adam, in his slow, cool way. “I understand. I’ve a good deal of a woman in me. Whatever brought you to Death Valley, whatever nails you here, is nothing to me. Even if I learn it, what need that be to you? If you do not want me to stay to work for you, watch over your husband--why, let me stay for my own sake.” She rose and faced him, with soul-searching eyes. She could not escape her nature. Emotion governed her. “Sir, you speak nobly,” she replied, with lips that trembled. “But I don’t understand you. Stay here--where I am--for your sake! Explain, please.”