Not three minutes elapsed after she had passed the crossing of the trails before the four men rode across from the other direction, and, pausing, called to one another, looking this way and that: 

“What d’ye think, Bill?  Shall we risk the right hand ’r the left?”

“Take the left hand fer luck,” answered Bill.  “Let’s go over to the ranch and ask.  Ef she’s been hereabouts, she’s likely there.  The old woman’ll know.  Come on, boys!”

And who shall say that the angel of the Lord did not stand within the crossing of the ways and turn aside the evil men?

Elizabeth did not stop her fierce ride until about noon.  The frenzy of her fear of pursuit had come upon her with renewed force.  Now that she was alone and desolate she dared not look behind her.  She had been strong enough as she smiled her farewell; but, when the train had dwindled into a mere speck in the distance, her eyes were dropping tears thick and fast upon the horse’s mane.  So in the first heaviness of her loneliness she rode as if pursued by enemies close at hand.

But the horse must rest if she did not, for he was her only dependence now.  So she sat her down in the shade of a tree, and tried to eat some dinner.  The tears came again as she opened the pack which the man’s strong hands had bound together for her.  How little she had thought at breakfast-time that she would eat the next meal alone!

It was all well enough to tell him he must go, and say she was nothing to him; but it was different now to face the world without a single friend when one had learned to know how good a friend could be.  Almost it would have been better if he had never found her, never saved her from the serpent, never ridden beside her and talked of wonderful new things to her; for now that he was gone the emptiness and loneliness were so much harder to bear; and now she was filled with a longing for things that could not be hers.

It was well he had gone so soon, well she had no longer to grow into the charm of his society; for he belonged to the lady, and was not hers.  Thus she ate her dinner with the indifference of sorrow.

Then she took out the envelope, and counted over the money.  Forty dollars he had given her.  She knew he had kept but five for himself.  How wonderful that he should have done all that for her!  It seemed a very great wealth in her possession.  Well, she would use it as sparingly as possible, and thus be able the sooner to return it all to him.  Some she must use, she supposed, to buy food; but she would do with as little as she could.  She might sometimes shoot a bird, or catch a fish; or there might be berries fit for food by the way.  Nights she must stop by the way at a respectable house.  That she had promised.  He had told her of awful things that might happen to her if she lay down in the wilderness alone.  Her lodging would sometimes cost her something.  Yet often they would take her in for nothing.  She would be careful of the money.