matter of lively concern. Then, after a
pause which both men felt to be suitable, "I suppose there is a special
rate for--that sort of thing, you know. I really haven't been here very
long. I will look it up. I suppose you have a certificate of death,
haven't you?"

Again Saul dressed his whiskers. His attention to them was his
recognition of the fact that Trenholme impressed him as a superior.

"I don't know about a certificate. You've heard of the Bates and Cameron
clearin', I s'pose; it's old Cameron that's dead"--again he nudged his
elbow coffinward--"and Mr. Bates he wrote a letter to the minister at
St. Hennon's."

He took the letter from his pocket as he spoke, and Trenholme perceived
that it was addressed in a legible hand and sealed.

"I fancy it's all right," said he doubtfully. He really had not any idea
what the railway might require before he took the thing in charge.

Saul did not make answer. He was not quite sure it was all right, but
the sort of wrongness he feared was not to be confided to the man into
whose care he desired to shove the objectionable burden.

"What did he die of?" asked the young man.

"He fell down, and he seemed for some days as if he'd get over it; then
he was took sudden. We put his feet into a hot pot of water and made him
drink lye."

"Lye?"

"Ash water--but we gave it him weak."

"Oh."

"But--he died."

"Well, that was sad. Does he leave a wife and family?"

"No," said Saul briefly. "But how much must I pay to have the cars take
it the rest of the way?"

Trenholme stepped into his room and lit his lamp that he might better
examine his list of rates. Saul came inside to warm himself at the
stove. The lamp in that little room was the one spot of yellow light in
the whole world that lay in sight, yet outside it was not yet dark, only
dull and bitterly cold.

Trenholme stood near the lamp, reading fine print upon a large card. The
railway was only just opened and its tariff incomplete as yet. He found
no particular provision made for the carriage of coffins. It took him
some minutes to consider under what class of freight to reckon this, but
he decided not to weigh it. Saul looked at the room, the ham and tea,
and at Trenholme, with quiet curiosity in his beady eyes. Outside, the
oxen hung their heads and dozed again.

"You see," said Saul, "I'll get there myself with the potash to-morrow
night; then I can arrange with the minister."

He had so much difficult