Yet -- Eve had swum Star Pond with her mouth filled with jewels.
When she had handed the morocco box to Quintana, Stormont now realised that she must have played her last card on the utterly desperate chance that Quintana might go away without examining the case.
Evidently she had emptied the case before she left her room. He recollected that, during all that followed, Eve had not uttered a single word. He knew why, now. How could she speak with her mouth full of (diamonds)?
A slight sound from the shore caused him to turn. Eve was coming toward him in the dusk, moving painfully on her wounded feet. Darragh's flannel shirt and his hunting coat buttoned around her slender waist clothed her.
The next instant he was beside her, lifting her in both arms.
As he placed her in the saddle and adjusted one stirrup to her bandaged foot, she turned and quietly thanked Darragh for the clothing.
"And that was a brave thing you did," she added, "-- to risk your life for my father's property. Because the morocco case which you saved proved to be empty does not make what you did any less loyal and gallant."
Darragh gazed at her, astounded; took the hand she stretched out to him; held it with a silly expression on his features.
"Hal Smith," she said with perceptible emotion, "I take back what I once said to you on Owl Marsh. No man is a real crook by nature who did what you have done. That is `faithfulness unto death' -- the supreme offer -- loyalty----"
Her voice broke; she pressed Darragh's hand convulsively and her lip quivered.
Darragh, with the morocco case full of jewels buttoned into his hip pocket, stood motionless, mutely swallowing his amazement.
What in the world did this girl mean, talking about an empty case?
But this was no time to unravel that sort of puzzle. He turned to Stormont who, as perplexed as he, had been listening in silence.
"Lead your horse forward," he said. "I know the trail. All you need do is to follow me." And, shouldering his rifle, he walked leisurely into the woods, the cartridge belt sagging en bandouliere across his woollen undershirt.