should tell you
that she is not so much of an angel after all--that she is, perhaps,
something like--like the woman over at Lac la Biche, who ran away with
the Englishman?"

Pierrot straightened as though Philip had thrust a knife-point into his
back. He broke forth suddenly into French.

"I would call him a liar, M'sieur," he cried fiercely. "I would call him
a liar, once-twice--three times, and then if he said it again I would
fight him. Mon Dieu, but it would be no sin to kill one with a mouth
like that!"

Philip was conscious of the hot blood rushing to his face as he bent
over his bunk. The depths of Pierrot's faith shamed him, and he crawled
silently between the blankets and turned his face to the wall. Pierrot
extinguished the light, and a little later Philip could hear his deep
breathing. But sleep refused to close his own eyes, and he lay on his
back, painfully awake. In spite of the resolution he had made to
think no more of the woman at Lac Bain, his mind swept him back to her
irresistibly. He recalled every incident that had occurred, every word
that she had spoken, since he had first looked upon her beautiful
face out on the Churchill trail. He could find nothing but purity and
sweetness until he came with her for that fatal hour or two into the
company of Bucky Nome. And then, again, his blood grew hot. But--after
all--was there not some little excuse for her? He thought of the
hundreds of women he had known, and wondered if there was one among them
all who had not at some time fallen into this same little error as Mrs.
Becker. For the first time he began to look at himself. Mrs. Becker had
laughed with Bucky Nome, her cheeks had grown a little flushed, her eyes
had shone radiantly--but were those things a sin? Had those same eyes
not looked up into his own, filled with a sweetness that thrilled him,
when he bent over her beside the fire out on the Churchill trail? Was
there not that same lovely flush in her face when his lips had almost
touched her hair? And had not the colonel's sudden return brought a
flush into both their faces? He smiled to himself, and for a moment he
thrilled ecstatically. The reaction came like a shock. In an instant
other scenes--other faces--flashed upon him, and again he saw the
luring, beautiful face of Eileen Hawkins, who smiled on men as Mrs.
Becker had smiled on Bucky Nome and on him.

He closed his eyes and tried to force himself into sleep, but failed.
At last he ros