ar," he said, "I can't quite tell you--but you have made me
rather badly ashamed. In some respects, I'm afraid it's a very rash
thing you are going to do."

She looked at him with candid perplexity, and then appeared to dismiss
the subject with a smile.

"There is so much I want to say, and it mayn't be so easy--afterwards,"
she said. "It's a pity the train starts so soon."

"We can get over that difficulty, anyway," said Hawtrey. "I'll come on
as far as I can with you, and get back from one of the way stations by
the Pacific express."

Sally made no objections, and drawing a little closer to him she talked
on in a low voice earnestly.

CHAPTER XXII.

A PAINFUL REVELATION.

A sprinkle of snow was driving down the unpaved street before the
bitter wind, when Mrs. Hastings came out of a store in the settlement
and handed Sproatly, who was waiting close by, several big packages.

"You can put them into the waggon, and tell Jake we'll want the team as
soon as supper's over," she said. "We're going to stay with Mrs.
Ormond to-night, and I don't want to get there too late."

Sproatly took the parcels, and Mrs. Hastings turned to Agatha, who
stood a pace or two behind her with Winifred.

"Now," she said, "if there's nothing else you want to buy we'll go
across to the hotel."

They reached it a few minutes later, and were standing in a big and
rather comfortless room when Sproatly rejoined them.

"This place is quite shivery," said Mrs. Hastings. "They generally
have the stove lighted in the little room along the corridor. Go and
see, Jim."

Sproatly went out, and, as it happened, he was wearing gum-boots, which
make very little noise. He proceeded along a dark corridor, and then
stopped abruptly when he had almost reached a partly-open door, for he
could see into a lighted room. Hawtrey was sitting near the stove
inside it on the arm of Sally's chair.

Then, though he was not greatly astonished, Sproatly drew back a pace
or two into the shadow, for it became evident that there were only two
courses open to him. He could judiciously announce his presence by
making the door rattle, and then go in and mention as casually as
possible that Mrs. Hastings and Agatha were in the hotel. He felt that
he ought to do it, but there was the difficulty that he could not warn
Hawtrey without embarrassing Sally. Sproatly pursed his face up in
honest perplexity as it became evident that the situation was a
del