Part 23 (1/2)

His demise has caused a profound sensation, as it occurred on the eve of a House Party, arranged in celebration of the engagement of his son, Viscount Harry Brammerton, Captain of the Coldstreahter of the late General Frederick Granton, as the companion and dearest friend of the late Earl of Bra in the Cri obituary notice followed, concluding with the following paragraph:

”It is given out that the e of the present Earl with Lady Granton has been postponed and that, after the necessary business formalities have been attended to, Captain Harry will join his regiypt for a short terone to New York, at the cabled invitation of some old fae Brammerton, second and only other son of the late Earl, is presently on a long walking tour in Europe His whereabouts are unknown and he is still in ignorance of his father's death”

The pain of that sudden announceht on the eve of my new endeavours, no one shall ever know

My dear old father! Angry at ive,--was gone: doubtless, passing aith a iveness to me on his lips

And,--after the pain of it, came the conflict

Had what I had done caused or in any way hastened reat and unforgiveable, would it not have been better had I allowed it to re of the family name unsullied, was the untarnished honour of our ancient fareater importance than my father's life? Was it my duty to be an unintentional and silent partner to the keeping of vital intelligence froht or wrong?

What did duty now demand of me? Should I hurry home and face the fresh problems there which were sure to arise now that Harry had succeeded to the titles and estates? Should I remain by the post I had accepted frohly this new and exhilarating life which, so far, I had merely tasted?

I had no doubts as to what my inclinations and desires were But it was not a question of inclinations and desires:--it was si, I sat on the veranda steps with htingup over the hills behindthe dark surface of the sea in front here and there with hts, I rose and went in to the house,-- day, my mind at rest like the rose-coloured tops of the rets I had done as a true Brao back;--not yet I would re out the new life and executing as faithfully as I kne the new duties I had voluntarily assu as I remained in Golden Crescent, I decided I would not castfrom the British Isles If I were to be done with the old life, I must be done with it in every way

CHAPTER XII

Joe Clark, Bully

With the advent of Monday e of George Breeneral superintendent,--opened its doors for business

I was not overburdened with custo the prices of hts

But the arrival of the ht Neil Andrews, Doolan, Gourlay and the stern, but honest-faced old Scot, Andrew Clark, all at different ti the afternoon Not one of the soiously to the Rev William Auld's list, but I found, in most cases, that my customers were prepared to pay for their first orders, at any rate, in cash; and, of course, I did not discourage them

On Wednesday, a launch, with threean order as long asto requirements

It took me most of the afternoon to put that order up Theand returning to cah all-day job for the all of the last two hours of their tiht another launch, this tih as with No 1, including the visit of the visitors to Jake's shack

In an ordinary case, I would have been beginning to fear that that shack had become a common shebeen, but I knew Jake was not the man to accept e for any hospitality it ht be in his power to offer A few days later came a repeat order from No 1 Camp, then a request from the Cannery, which I was able to fill only in part, as inal orders given to the Vancouver wholesalers

I was beginning to wonder where Ca its supplies fro, they showed up