t," he replied.

"But suppose, after you had put it in, you found yourself
disappointed in your returns--discovered, perhaps, that there was
no fortune awaiting you in the ground after all? What would you do
then?--for of course you could not get back what you had spent,"
said Katherine, with an air of amusement, for to her the statement
of there being a fortune in every acre of that barren ground
sounded like fiction pure and simple.

"In that case I should probably have to take off my coat, roll up
my sleeves, and go to work to earn a living for myself and Mary;
but I am not afraid of having to do it just yet," he answered,
laughing. Then as a customer entered the store he went off to talk
to 'Duke Radford, who was sitting outside in the sun, and Katherine
did not see him again that evening.

As in duty bound, she decided to take counsel with the others,
although her own mind was fully made up with regard to Mr.
Selincourt's offer. Life in some other more civilized place would
probably be easier and pleasanter for herself. Such work as she
had to do now was labour for men, and by no means suitable for
women or girls. But it was not herself she had to think of first
in this case; Miles and Phil were the ones to be considered here,
and she determined that the light in which Miles regarded the
question should be the standpoint from which she would view it too.
By this time she was quite satisfied in her own mind of her ability
to keep the business working in a profitable manner; but if she
were to venture upon earning a living for the six who were
dependent upon her efforts in some other way, she would not be so
sure of herself, and to doubt might be to fail.

It was not easy to get time to confer all together in that busy
household, but by good fortune a chance occurred that very evening,
and Katherine took it thankfully enough, knowing that it might be
long before such an opportunity came again. Her father had gone to
bed, tired out with his day of sitting and walking in the sunshine,
and was sleeping peacefully. The twins had also been put to rest,
and were droning themselves to sleep in a drowsy sing-song duet
with which they always filled the house before subsiding into their
nightly slumber.

"Don't go to bed for a few minutes, Phil; I want to talk to you.
We have got to have a family conclave," said Katherine, as Phil,
with a mighty yawn, was turning his steps to the ladder which led
to the loft.