His sudden appearance startled Lois for an instant.

But when she saw who it was, she smiled, and held out her hand.

"I didn't notice you," she began, "as I was lost in thought. But I
have wanted to see you to thank you for what you did for me yesterday.
I shudder to think of what would have been the result if you had not
been there. I hope you were not offended at Sammie's words."

"And you feel none the worse for your fall and wetting?" Jasper
evasively replied.

"Oh, no, I am all right now. It takes more than that to knock me out.
I was going over this morning to thank you, but----"

She paused, and looked thoughtfully across the fields.

"I know," Jasper hastened to explain. "You didn't like to come to my
shack. It is only natural. It would have given people something to
talk about."

Lois looked at him for an instant and a sudden fire of resentment shone
in her eyes, while her face flushed.

"Do you consider me such a weak person as that?" she demanded. "Do you
imagine that I care what people might say? I never let the frills and
shams of life interfere with me when I am in the way of duty."

"Forgive me," Jasper apologised, "if I have offended you. I spoke
without due thought. But one hardly knows how to take people these
days, and I am sorry that I judged you wrongly. I am so glad that you
are not like others."

"We will forget all about it," Lois replied, with a smile. "Yes, I was
going to see you this morning to thank you, no matter what people might
say, but I was sent for by Mrs. Peterson who lives just back there, and
I have been with her ever since. She is in great trouble, as her
husband is an invalid, and she has no way of making a living. She is
thinking of taking in summer boarders, and she wanted to talk to me
about it."

"And what did you advise?" Jasper questioned.

"Nothing," was the emphatic reply. "It is a difficult problem, and I
do not know what can be done. In the first place, the house is too
small for more than two or three boarders, and she could not expect to
have them for more than a few weeks at the most in the summer time. If
she could have them all the year around it would be different. And
besides, it would be very hard for Mrs. Peterson to look after them.
It takes most of her time caring for her husband, who is quite weak,
and not always very considerate, I am afraid."

As Lois was thus talking, Jasper was doing some serious thinking. He
was grea