loved him, no
merely prudential reasons ought to separate them. He had feared to drag
her down, to rob her of things she valued, but he now saw that she might,
after all, hold them of little account. He was, for his station, a
prosperous man; his wife need suffer no real deprivation; he had a firm
belief in the future of his adopted country, and knew that in a little
while all the amenities of civilized life could be enjoyed in it.
Wandle's trial would free him of suspicion; when he had stood facing
Jernyngham, Muriel had revealed her love for him, and since it could not
be doubted, he need not hesitate. It was her right to choose whether she
would marry him. Only she must clearly realize all that this would imply.

He had expected some opposition from Mrs. Colston, but, when it was
inevitable, she could gracefully bear defeat. Moreover, she had never
agreed with Jernyngham's suspicions of Prescott, and in some respects he
impressed her favorably. There was no reserve in her greeting when he
reached the homestead.

"The less that is said about last night, the better, but I can't pass
over it without expressing our gratitude for the position you took," she
said. "Harry has driven Jernyngham out in the sleigh--he has been in a
curious limp state all morning--and Gertrude has not yet got over the
shock."

"It must have been very trying for Miss Jernyngham."

"No doubt." There was not much pity in Mrs. Colston's voice, for she
could guess how matters stood. "However, I am disengaged and I believe
Muriel will be here directly."

Prescott followed her into a room and made an effort to talk to her until
she rose and went out as Muriel entered. The girl, to his surprise, was
dressed in furs, and he felt his heart beat when she looked at him with a
shy smile.

"I have been expecting you," she said, giving him her hand.

"I wonder," he asked gravely, "whether you can guess why I have come?"

"Yes," she answered in a steady voice; "I think I can. But we'll go out,
Jack."

He followed her, puzzled, but not questioning her wish, and they walked
silently down the beaten trail that stretched away, a streak of grayish
blue, across the glittering snow. Brilliant sunshine streamed down on
them and the nipping air was wonderfully clear. When they passed a birch
bluff that hid them from the house; Prescott stopped.

"Muriel," he said, "I think you know that I love you."

There was a warm color in her face, but for a moment she