dness. "I reckon I had better stick
to the track. To know where you properly belong is something, and if I
took the other job, my chiefs would soon find me out."

"You're modest," Ruth remarked. "One likes modest people, but don't you
think you're obstinate?"

"When the trail you hit goes uphill, obstinacy's useful."

"If you won't take help, you may be long reaching the top, but we'll let
it go. The wind hasn't dropped much. How can we get back?"

"We must wait," Lister replied with a twinkle. "The trouble about an
adventure is, when you start you're often forced to stay with it and put
it over. That sometimes costs more than you reckon."

Ruth's eyes sparkled, but she forced a smile. "Logical people make me
tired. But why do you imagine I haven't the pluck to pay?"

"I don't," said Lister. "I've no grounds to imagine anything like that.
My business was to take care of you and I ought to have seen the storm
was coming. Now I'm mad because I didn't watch out."

"Sometimes you're rather nice," Ruth remarked. "You know I made you go
on. All the same, we must start as soon as possible."

Lister got up presently and launched the canoe. The thunder had gone,
but the breeze was strong and angry white waves rolled up the lake. To
drive the canoe to windward was heavy labor, and while she lurched
slowly across the combers the sun got low. Lister's wet hands blistered
and his arms ached, but he swung the paddle stubbornly, and at length
the houses and hotel stood out from the beach. When they got near the
landing Ruth looked ahead.

"The train's ready to pull out!" she exclaimed. "Can you make it?"

Lister tried. His face got dark with effort and his hands bled, but in a
few minutes he ran the canoe aground. Ruth jumped out and they reached
the station as the bell began to toll. Duveen waved to them from the
track by the front of the train and then jumped on board, and Lister
pushed Ruth up the steps of the last car. The car was second-class and
crowded by returning holiday-makers, but the conductor, who did not know
Lister and Miss Duveen, declared all the train was full and they must
stay where they were. When he went off and locked the vestibule Lister
looked about.

All the seats and much of the central passage were occupied, for the
most part by young men and women. Some were frankly lovers and did not
look disturbed by the banter of their friends. Lister was embarrassed,
for Ruth's sake, until he saw with some