h a rather curious expression. He was not quite sure he had meant
Sally to have the things when he had purchased them, but he was quite
contented now. The one gift he had somewhat diffidently offered Agatha
since her arrival in Canada had been almost coldly laid aside.

In another few minutes Sally laid out supper, and as she waited upon
him daintily or filled his cup Hawtrey thrust the misgivings he had
felt further behind him. Sally, he thought with a little dry smile,
could certainly cook. When the meal was over he sat talking about
nothing in particular for almost an hour, and then stood up. It
occurred to him that Sally's mother would be back before very long, and
she was a person he had no great liking for.

"Well," he said, "I must be getting home. Won't you let me see you
with that cap on?"

Sally, who betrayed no diffidence, put on the cap, and stood before a
little dingy mirror with both hands raised while she pressed it down
upon her gleaming hair. Then she flashed a smiling glance at him. It
was quite sufficient, and as she turned again Hawtrey slipped forward
as softly as he could. She swung round, however, with a flush in her
face and a forceful, restraining gesture.

"Don't spoil it all, Gregory," she said sharply.

Hawtrey, who saw that she meant it--which was a cause of some
astonishment to him--dropped his hand.

"Oh," he said, "if you look at it in that way I'm sorry. Good-night,
Sally!"

She let him go, but she smiled when he drove away; and half an hour
later she showed the cap and mittens to her mother with significant
candour. Mrs. Creighton, who was a severely practical person, nodded.

"Well," she said, "he only wants a little managing if he bought you
these, and nobody could say you ran after him. I wouldn't, anyway;
some of them don't like it."

CHAPTER XX.

THE FIRST STAKE.

A fortnight had slipped by since the evening Hawtrey had spent with
Sally, when Winifred and Sproatly once more arrived at the Hastings
homestead. The girl was looking a trifle jaded, and it appeared that
the manager of the elevator, who had all along treated her with a good
deal of consideration, had insisted upon her going away for a few days
now the pressure of business which had followed the harvest had
slackened. Sproatly, as usual, had driven her in from the settlement.

When the evening meal was over they drew their chairs close up about
the stove, and Hastings thrust fresh birch