and
trying to forget her--if I ever can."

"Forget her! What's the meaning of all this? Why, man, five minutes
ago you were all on fire about her, and now you talk quietly about
giving her up! I'm all adrift."

"Well, it's a mixed up matter."

"What is?"

"My affair."

"Your affair; something that has happened?"

"Yes. It's a sore matter, and I don't care to speak about it just
now."

"Oh!"

"And it's the real cause why I don't go back to England."

"The mischief it is! Why, Dacres, I'll be hanged if you're not using
the very words I myself used a few minutes ago."

"Am I?" said Dacres, gloomily.

"You certainly are; and that makes me think that our affairs are in a
similar complication."

"Oh no; mine is very peculiar."

"Well, there's one thing I should like to ask, and you needn't answer
unless you like."

"Well?"

"Doesn't your difficulty arise from some confounded woman or other?"

"Well--yes."

"By Jove, I knew it! And, old fellow, I'm in the same situation."

[Illustration: "BY JOVE, I KNEW IT!"]

"Oh ho! So you're driven away from England by a woman?"

"Exactly."

Dacres sighed heavily.

"Yours can't be as bad as mine," said he, with a dismal look. "Mine is
the worst scrape that ever you heard of. And look at me now, with the
child-angel all ready to take me, and me not able to be taken.
Confound the abominable complications of an accursed civilization, I
say!"

"And I say, Amen!" said Hawbury.

CHAPTER VI.

THE FIERY TRIAL.

"See here, old chap," said Hawbury, "I'm going to make a clean breast
of it."

"Of what?"

"Of my affair."

"That's right," said Dacres, dolefully. "I should like of all things
to hear it."

"You see I wouldn't tell you, only you yourself turn out to be in a
similar situation, and so what I have to say may prove of use to you.
At any rate, you may give me some useful suggestion.

"Very well, then," continued Hawbury--"to begin. You may remember that
I told you when we met here where I had been passing the time since I
saw you last."

Dacres nodded assent.

"Well, about two years ago I was in Canada. I went there for sport,
and plunged at once into the wilderness. And let me tell you it's a
very pretty country for hunting. Lots of game--fish, flesh, and
fowl--from the cariboo down to the smallest trout that you would care
to hook. Glorious country; magnificent forests waiting for the
lumberman; air that acts on you like wine, or even