spring, mees! What ees one man when
men are as zee leaves of zee forest? Dis man dead! True--but eet ees a
small ting--zee death of a man. An' I tak' you to anodder man----"

"You will what?" Helen looked up sharply as she asked the question.
There was a light of wrath struggling with the grief in her eyes and
the half-breed was startled by it.

"I tak' you to anodder man who weel lov' you as white squaws desire.
He----"

"Who is this man?" she asked, suddenly interrupting him.

But the half-breed developed a sudden wariness.

"Non!" he said. "I not tell you dat, for why, zee surprise it veel be
zee more pleasant!"

"Pleasant!" cried Helen, wrath uppermost in her heart once more.
"Pleasant! I----" She checked herself, then as something occurred to
her she asked another question.

"This man whom you promise me? He pays you to bring me to him?"

"Oui! He pays a great price!"

"Why?"

"I not know! How can I tell what ees in zee heart of heem? But it ees
in my mind dat he burns with love, dat----"

Helen rose suddenly from her seat. "I will tell you something," she
said in a voice that made the callous half-breed shiver. "When you
bring me to this man I will kill him because that other man has died!"

"I not care what you do wid heem!" answered her captor with a brutal
laugh. "You marrie heem, you keel heem, it ees all zee same to me, I
get zee price, an' I do not love dat mans, no."

"Tell me who is he--his name, and I will pay you double the price he
promises."

The half-breed smiled cunningly. "Where is your double zee price? Zee
price dat man pay I haf seen. Eet ees real! Eet ees a good price! Non!
mees; a promise what ees dat? A red fox in zee trap ees more dan a
silvaire fox in zee wood. Dis man half zee goods, an' you--what haf
you?"

He lit his pipe and turned from her to the fire. Helen gave him one
glance and guessed that it was useless to try to bribe him further,
then she turned and began to walk restlessly to and fro. There was a
set, stony look of grief on her face; but deep in the grey eyes burned
a light that boded ill for the man who had brought the grief upon her.

Time passed, and she still marched to and fro. The half-breed was
nodding over the fire, and his two companions were sound asleep. Under
her fur parka she felt the butt of the pistol which Stane had given
her, when the attack on the cabin had commenced. She looked at the
three men, and with her hand on the pistol-butt the t