boat, but the work was fearful, and
Katherine was so near to exhaustion when she at last pulled round
past the shut-up house of Oily Dave, that she was thankful to let
Phil take the oars and pull up the quieter waters of the river to
Roaring Water Portage.

"I wonder how Oily Dave likes being at the fishing to-day?" said
Phil, swaying himself to and fro and jerking the boat fearfully
with his short, uneven strokes.

But Katherine, sitting in a huddled, wet heap on the opposite seat,
did not answer. She was thinking of someone else who was at the
fishing, and praying that he might be kept in safety and brought
back unharmed.

CHAPTER XXVII

A Bearer of Evil Tidings

In was a very tired Katherine who awoke to face the work of the
next day. It was storming still, with a driving rain, so journeys
of any kind were out of the question; and, yielding to the wisdom
of Mrs. Burton, she remained in bed until nearly noon. Her arms
ached so badly that she could scarcely move them, her body was
weary in every part, and the long night had been hideous for her by
reason of the nightmare dreams which broke her rest. Always it
seemed when she fell asleep that she was tormented with visions of
Jervis Ferrars struggling for his life in deep waters, falling from
beetling cliffs on to rugged rocks below, or being pursued by
enraged and vindictive walruses across slippery places, where no
one on two feet could hope to stand without falling.

Even when she awoke the dreams haunted her still, and it was not
until the new day came, and the rest of the household had gone to
their usual avocations, that any real sleep came to her. The twins
were singing when she awoke at noon; indeed, they almost always
were singing: but this morning it was a lilting baby song about
"The sun is always shining, somewhere, somewhere", and Katherine
took heart as she listened, then rose and dressed in great haste,
for it was years since she had remained in bed so late in the day,
and she was wondering what the others were doing without her to
help them.

Miles was standing at the store door looking out across the river
when she entered by the other door from the living-room, and he was
so absorbed that he did not hear her come up behind him, and only
started when she put her hand on his arm to shake him into
attention.

"What are you staring at?" she asked lightly.

"Someone in oilskins has just rowed up and stopped over the river
at Mr. Sel