to you if he reckons you can be bluffed, but
he's not a crook."

"Then we can rule him out," said Carrie. "I imagine you don't make
mistakes."

"Making mistakes about trusting folks sometimes costs you high," Martin
remarked. He looked at her thoughtfully and then smiled. "One could
trust you all the time."

"Well," said Carrie, "I suppose I gave you a lead, but there's no use
in our trying who could be nicest, because I'd certainly beat you. I
expect you don't often try and it's a girl's business."

In the meantime, Jim had studied both. He thought he knew Carrie's
worth, but somehow the other's approval made it plainer. Although
Martin's humorous frankness jarred, Jim recognized its note of
sincerity. On the whole, he liked Martin, but he would sooner Carrie
did not play up to the fellow. By and by Martin turned to him.

"When I was last at Vancouver a man called Mordaunt asked some
questions about you."

"Mordaunt?" said Jim, with a puzzled look.

"He stopped at your telegraph shack."

"Oh, yes; I only met him once before and didn't learn his name. What
did he want to know?"

"All I could tell him about you. He was something of a high-brow
Englishman and used tact, but I reckoned he was keen on finding out
what kind of man you were."

"You couldn't tell him much."

"That is so," said Martin, rather dryly. "In fact, I didn't try."

"Oh, well, it's not important," Jim replied. "Perhaps my books roused
his curiosity. They were not the books he'd imagine a telegraph
linesman would read. But did he tell you much about himself?"

"He did not. An Englishman like that doesn't talk about himself."

Jim agreed carelessly, but was thoughtful afterwards, and when Martin
went off with Jake, stopped by the fire and mused. After a time he
looked up and saw Carrie sitting in the shadow. Now and then the
flickering light touched her face and he thought she studied him.

"I suppose you're thinking about that Englishman?" she said.

"Yes. It's rather strange he asked Martin about me."

"Perhaps he knows your relations."

"It looks like that," Jim agreed.

"And he was with the girl you met at the restaurant! I expect she was
a relation of his. Aren't you curious?"

Jim imagined Carrie was curious, but one could be frank with her, and
he wanted to formulate his thoughts.

"In a way, I am curious," he admitted. "I would like to see the girl
again. Still, I think it's really as a type she in