widow to her father's house. No wonder she dreaded Katherine
wedding after the same fashion. History has a trick of repeating
itself, and she could not bear to think of sunny-hearted Katherine
having to live always in the shadows, as she herself had done.

But the worry oppressing her just now was concerned also with Mary
Selincourt. Mary spent a great deal of time at the store, and when
she was there she made herself useful like other people. She had
even served an Indian squaw with coloured calico of an astonishing
pattern, had clicked off the proper number of yards in the most
business-like fashion, and then had demanded: "What next, if you
please?" in a manner as collected as if she had served an
apprenticeship behind a counter. A most delightful companion was
Mary, and Mrs. Burton fairly revelled in her society: but Mary had
one strange habit which puzzled her, she always avoided Jervis
Ferrars when it was possible to do so, and she had a trick of
blushing when his name was mentioned. These symptoms were proof
positive to Mrs. Burton that Mary cared for Jervis, and she was
sorely troubled about it.

Katherine, on the other hand, seemed to be absolutely heart-whole;
she went about her daily work with a zest which was refreshing to
behold. She always seemed to be happy and content, while she
treated Jervis in much the same fashion as she did Miles, and
teased him whenever the occasion seemed to demand it, which was
very often.

It was the middle of July, and the great event of the year had
taken place, that is, the first steamer had come through Hudson
Strait, and was anchored off Seal Cove. 'Duke Radford had heavy
shipments in this vessel, and for a few days Katherine left the
outside customers to their own devices, spending busy hours in
checking invoices and helping to stow away the merchandise which
Stee Jenkin and Miles brought up river in boatloads from the
steamer. These goods had been ordered in October of the year
before, but that was how things had to be done in that awkward
corner of the world, where ice blocked the ocean road for eight
months out of the twelve.

The steamer which brought groceries and dry goods for the store was
to take away sealskins, walrus-skins, narwhal ivory, whalebone, and
blubber of various sorts, which had been accumulating in the fish
shed since the fishing began. This made Jervis as busy in his way
as Katherine was in hers. Indeed, the press of work was so gre