ng to find him? But the answer came,--

"There is a science congress to be held in New York which I should very
much like to attend; and there will be one or two men there who are
studying the same subjects as I am, with whom I wish to compare notes.
Will you allow me to go, little one?"

"I suppose I must," grudgingly.

"I thought you would have liked to see London and go to the seaside; you
used to be so anxious to travel."

"Yes, but I'd rather go to America with you," wistfully.

"That is out of the question," said the doctor decidedly, "on account
of your health; besides, what should I do with you while I went to my
meetings and sat on my commissions, _et cetera_? No, no; you must be
content, and perhaps you'll go next time." And he kissed Marjory,
feeling that the affair was settled.

CHAPTER XIX.

IMPORTANT LETTERS.

"Circumstances are like clouds, continually gathering and
bursting."

KEATS.

The manager of the A1 Shipping and Transportation Company was sitting in
his office in the largest building in the main street of the town of
Skaguay in the far-away North-West. That office was the centre of the
business activities of an immense district, and the work of its manager
demanded much time and energy.

He was not an old man, but his hair was gray and his forehead lined and
furrowed. A pair of piercing dark eyes looked from beneath thick
grizzled eyebrows. It was a strong and striking face, severe in its
lines, but when lit up by one of its rare smiles the hardness
disappeared in a wonderful way. He was sitting at his desk apparently
studying some papers that lay before him, but there was a dreamy,
far-away look in his eyes which told that his thoughts had travelled
beyond the walls of his office and the business of the day.

"Two of them," he muttered, turning over the papers. He took one up and
began to read as follows:--

* * * * *

"DEAR DAVIDSON,--You were good enough to say that you would be
glad to hear from me when I had reached home again, and the suggestion
was one more addition to the numerous kindnesses I received from you
during my visit to your part of the world, and for which I once more
thank you most heartily. Through your instrumentality I was enabled to
see into the life of the country and to catch the spirit of its people
in a way which I could not otherwise have done, and I am very grateful
to you.

"I do not intend to talk abo