e to be
continually snubbed in order to keep them in their places. The
stupid creatures make me so angry!"

"Poor Katherine! It is hard on you, for you are certainly much too
good-looking to teach a night school; but, on the other hand, what
a good thing it has been for the men to have the school to occupy
their evenings," said Mrs. Burton. "Mrs. Jenkin was saying only
yesterday that there has not been half so much drinking and
gambling at Seal Cove this winter as there was last year, because
the men would rather come here and listen to your lectures on
history and geography."

"They are willing enough to listen, and will sit looking as stupid
as a school of white whales, caught in a stake trap," replied
Katherine. "But see what dunces some of them are when I try to
knock a little arithmetic into their thick heads."

"Yes, I will admit they are rather dense; and you are very much
more patient with them than I should be, I'm afraid," Mrs. Burton
said with a sigh. The night school had privately been a very great
trial to her, for since 'Duke Radford's indifferent health had
caused him to lie in bed so much, it had been impossible to use the
room off the store as schoolroom, and so for two hours every
evening the family living-room had been invaded by a swarm of more
or less unwashed men, whose habits were not always of the most
refined description.

"The need for patience will soon be over now," Katherine said,
understanding the cause of the sigh, although Mrs. Burton had
uttered no spoken complaint. "Miles says the men were beginning to
break the boats out yesterday, and it is raining now, which will
help matters on a great deal, unless, indeed, it rains too long,
and then we may have floods."

"Oh dear, I hope not!" replied Mrs. Burton with a shiver, for
spring floods were no joke in that part of the world. "By the way,
has Miles told you that he saw the Englishman to-day?"

"What Englishman?" demanded Katherine, with dismay in her tone, for
her thoughts immediately flew to Mr. Selincourt; only, of course,
it was not possible that he could arrive before June.

"Didn't you hear that an Englishman came through from Maxokama with
the Indians who brought up the mail?" said Mrs. Burton in surprise.

"Not a word. But certainly he must be a plucky sort of person to
have ventured a journey of four hundred miles on snowshoes. Do you
know who he is?" Katherine asked with quickened interest.

"Someone to do wi