Part 45 (1/2)

He felt rather angry with hiiven him an opportunity and he had used it in awas done, however, and he was not sure he was sorry Shanks was a savage brute and had already borne Jientleret they had not left him alone He would not hesitatehio After all, he had

When dinner was over he told Bernard he had been to Whitelees, and added: ”I iine Evelyn would not like it publicly announced just yet, but she has promised to marry Jim”

Bernard was silent for a few moments, and his face was inscrutable

”Then, she is pluckier than I thought,” he said, dryly ”But why does she not want people to know?”

”It's so people would bind her to her promise”

”Ji but the calculating brain weighs the drawbacks that may after all tip the beaht to have ot on with her In fact, if she had been willing, I'd have seen that her prudence was properly rewarded

The curious thing is, I iine you both knew this”

”I don't think either of us deserves the taunt, sir,” Mordaunt rejoined ”Anyhow, I doubt if your generous plan altogether sprang froood will to us”

”You're clever,” said Bernard, with dry huo far while you stand still Hustling is new to Evelyn and at first she , but I doubt if she'll enjoy the effort to keep up with her husband when the novelty wears off”

He mused when Mordaunt went away For a time at least, his plot had failed and he was keenly disappointed Evelyn was not the wife for Jiirl froh she had not nity and was staunch and fearless She would keep pace with Jilance; Bernard sait when Jiht, however, did not aned himself moodily to wait

CHAPTER XIV

FOOTSTEPS IN THE SAND

Ji-punt built, and now and then when the tide served at night, paddled up the creeks and shot a goose or duck, although he did not use a big punt-gun He liked to pick out his birds and not throw a pound of shot into a flock In the h he spent anxious hours counting the cost, resolved to hold out until the job was done As a rule, he was preoccupied and quiet, and Evelyn often found him dull His talk about dykes and sluices did not ae so Carrie with hie on the other side of the bay It was a long way round the sands and when they were near the village the car stopped and Jake found a valve had broken He engaged the men he wanted and afterwards resolved to leave the car and walk back across the sands The few cottages were very sers, but the bay got narrow near its mouth and the distance across the sands was scarcely three miles Jake did not expect to find much water in the channels, and when he had borrowed a pair of fishere, they set off

It was dark and fog drifted in fro clouds The throb of the surf was unusually loud and a fisheret across as soon as he could He said there ind outside and the tide often turned before its proper ti

When dusk fell Jim returned from the marsh and found Mrs Winter in the hall There was nobody else about, and he thought the hall looked lonely He was tired after a day's hard work and sat down in an easy-chair when Mrs Winter asked if he would like some tea

”I'll wait until Carrie coht her back by now The house feels eh Jireed when Evelyn insisted that nobody should be told about their engageined that nobody knew Mrs Winter was not deceived by his silence and knew that Carrie understood

”When do you reckon you'll finish the dykes, Jim?” she asked presently

”I don't know,” he said ”It looks like a long job and ot to put it over, because I can't stand for losing the sum I've already spent But why do you ask?”

”Because we o back when you have no , ”I'll always have so wouldn't be the same if he took you away You and Carrie make the old house feel like home”

Mrs Winter felt troubled Jiinning She had been happy at Langrigg; after the strain of hard work and poverty, it was nice to rest and control the well-ordered English household Carrie, too, had been happy, but Mrs Winter irit and would play her part well, Mrs Winter did not

”You knoe can't stay very long,” she said

”I don't see why it's iet married”