half afraid, and imagined that the longer
he waited the less risk he would run of his society jarring. Next day he
left the hills, but did not greatly enjoy his visit to town. London was
much like Montreal, where the buildings were as fine, only they did not
dig up so many streets and fill the air with cement from the towering
blocks of new offices. The English liked permanence, while the Canadians
altered their cities from day to day. Besides he wanted to go back to
the North as soon as it was prudent.

On the evening of his return it rained hard and he talked to Muriel in
her drawing-room. He liked Muriel Gardiner and she frankly enjoyed his
society. It did not matter that she sometimes seemed to find him amusing
when he was serious. A fire burned in the grate, for the summer evening
was cold, his low chair was comfortable, and Muriel, holding a fan to
shield her face, sat opposite in the soft light of a shaded lamp that
left much of the room in shadow. The circle of subdued illumination gave
one a pleasant feeling of seclusion and made for mutual confidence, but
Festing was silent for a time, thinking rather hard.

He was getting used to English comforts, which did not seem so
enervating as he had imagined, but he could give them up, and would,
indeed, be forced to do so when he occupied his prairie homestead. A man
could go without much that people in England required, and be the better
for the self-denial, but it might be different for a girl. Long habit
might make comfort and artistic surroundings actual necessities. It was,
however, encouraging to remember Helen's cheerfulness as she led him
among the crags in the rain. She had pluck and could bear fatigue and
hardship. Besides, there need not be much hardship after all.

Presently Muriel gave him a careless glance. "Helen told me she met you
in the hills and you came over to the hall where she and Alison Jardine
stopped. Now you have had an opportunity of correcting your first
impression, what do you think of her?"

"What I have always thought," Festing replied.

Muriel looked at him with surprise, and then laughed. "Oh, yes; I
remember you saw her portrait first. Well, you have more imagination
than I thought. But I understand you didn't see Helen again, although
she and Alison went over part of the route I marked out for you."

Festing thought her manner was too careless, and felt suspicious, but
he said: "I changed my plans. I thought it might look signi