l. But it doesn't look as if
Walters meant to do me much harm."

"He can't, so long as you don't give him an opportunity."

Lawrence's eyes twinkled. "And you'll take care that I don't? Well,
it's rather nice to be protected."

Lucy blushed. "If you would take things seriously sometimes----"

"If I did, you'd find me dull. Now I like you exactly as you are,
except that, in one way, I'd sooner you were not so anxious about me.
That's partly why I'm not so serious as you expect I'm afraid you'd get
worse if I played up to you."

"Never mind me," said Lucy. "Only take care!"

By and by the slope grew gentler, and tall forest crept up the hill
when they came to a ravine a torrent had worn out of the mountain side.
The ravine was narrow and for a short distance below the top the banks
shelved steeply; then a wall of rock fell straight to the water that
brawled in the bottom of the deep gap. The light was dim down there,
but one could see livid flashes of foam through a haze of spray. The
trail had been made by lumbermen or prospectors, who had provided a
bridge by chopping a big fir so that it fell across the chasm.
Somebody had made the passage easier by roughly squaring its upper
surface, though it is seldom a Canadian bushman takes this precaution
with his primitive bridge. There was no reason anybody with normal
nerve should hesitate to cross, but the party stopped.

"You have gone farther than usual to-day, Featherstone, and perhaps
you'd sooner cut out the bridge," said one. "I think we could get
round the head of the canon without lengthening the distance much."

Lawrence smiled. "My object is to keep on going farther than I did
before, and I don't see why the log should bother me. It's my legs
that are weak--not my head."

"Very well," said the other. "I'll go first and Miss Chisholm will
come next."

"Am I to be encouraged or shamed into crossing?" Lawrence asked with a
laugh.

He let them go, and Lucy did not object. Lawrence was not well yet,
but she had seen him climb among the crevasses and knew his steadiness.
Then, although she did not know how much this counted, she was proud of
his courage and forgot that physical weakness sometimes affects one's
nerve. Walters could not harm him, because he was not near enough.

When the first two had gone over, Lawrence walked out upon the log.
Lucy was not afraid, but she watched and remarked that he seemed
unusually careful. After a few pac