self comfortable."

He went out, knocking over a cup in his haste, and the girl sat still
and laughed. There was not a great deal of merriment in her laughter,
and the tears were close behind it, but it was a relief. Townshead,
however, watched her disapprovingly.

"You should," he said, "endeavour to preserve a becoming serenity."

Nellie Townshead became grave again. "I fancy it would have been
better if we had not displayed so much of it and let things drift, but
that is not the question now," she said. "How could any one willing to
help us do so, father?"

Townshead made a little grimace. "Are you not suggesting an
impossibility?"

"But if there was somebody," persisted the girl. "What could he do on
Thursday? I want to understand everything."

"Well," said Townshead, "I think this is the position. Hallam lent me
money which I cannot repay him, and he sells us up. Incidentally, I
fancy he has some reason for desiring this ranch, and as he has been
acquiring a good deal of land lately will get somebody to buy it in.
Very few of our neighbours have any dollars to spare, and the price
will necessarily be a low one. Now if any man with the means to bid
against him were here it would put heart into some of the others and
run the prices up, and in that case Hallam would have to hand me over a
balance, as well as pay a good deal more than he meant to for the
ranch. I think that is simple, and I believe the manoeuvre has been
used with some success in other parts of Canada."

"But," said the girl, "if the man offered more than Hallam or his
nominee would outbid, he would have to take the ranch."

Townshead nodded agreement. "That," he said, "is the difficulty.
Still, though I do not think there is any one who would do so much for
us, I presume you would not have asked the question unless you had
something in your mind."

The girl, who did not answer for a moment, stooped and stirred the
stove. "No," she said very slowly. "I sent word to Mr. Alton."

"Alton?" said Townshead, and sat silent a while. "Well, although I do
not altogether approve of him, I fancy that if there is anybody in this
district able to help us that is the man. There remains the question
is he willing?"

Nellie Townshead still busied herself at the stove. "I think he is,"
she said.

Townshead straightened himself a trifle in his chair. "Then, I am
curious to know why he should be," he said.

"I do not know," said the gir