the door his eyes were--oh!--so terrible!--wild--and bloodshot--and
blind! Oh, I cannot tell you about it!" she exclaimed, her voice
breaking and her tears falling fast. "And he could hardly speak to us.
We had to cut off his snow-shoes--and his gauntlets and his clothes
were like iron. He could not sit down--he just--just--lay on the
floor--till--my sister--" Here the girl's sobs interrupted her story.

"Great Heavens!" cried the Superintendent. "What a mercy he reached
home!"

The Inspector had risen and came round to Moira's side.

"Don't try to tell me any more," he said in a husky voice, patting her
gently on the shoulder. "He is here with us, safe, poor chap. My God!"
he cried in an undertone, "what he must have gone through!"

At this point Mandy returned and took her place again quietly by the
fire.

"It was this sudden spell of cold that nearly killed him," she said in a
quiet voice. "He was not fully prepared for it, and it caught him at
the end of his trip, too, when he was nearly played out. You see, he was
five weeks away and he had only expected to be three."

"Yes, I know, Mrs. Cameron," said the Inspector.

"An unexpected emergency seems to have arisen."

"I don't know what it was," replied Mandy. "He could tell me little, but
he was determined to go on to the fort."

"I know something about his plans," said the Inspector. "He had proposed
a tour of the reserves, beginning with the Piegans and ending with the
Bloods."

"And we know something of his work, too, Mrs. Cameron," said the
Superintendent. "Superintendent Strong has sent us a very fine report
indeed of your husband's work. We do not talk about these things,
you know, in the Police, but we can appreciate them all the same.
Superintendent Strong's letter is one you would like to keep. I shall
send it to you. Knowing Superintendent Strong as I do--"

"I know him too," said Mandy with a little laugh.

"Well, then, you will be able to appreciate all the more any word of
commendation he would utter. He practically attributes the present state
of quiet and the apparent collapse of this conspiracy business to
your husband's efforts. This, of course, is no compensation for his
sufferings or yours, but I think it right that you should know the
facts." The Superintendent had risen to his feet and had delivered his
little speech in his very finest manner.

"Thank you," said Mandy simply.

"We had expected him back a week ago," said the Ins