Part 33 (2/2)
”Would you like to do Europe-after we areinto his tone that she could not understand
”Why worry about the iently ”Books are cheap, if travel is not, and ill do our European travel sitting by a winter fire”
”It s ravely Then he asked: ”Did anyone tell you that I came up river to see you that afternoon before we sailed for the Twins?”
”Yes,” she answered, flushi+ng as she remembered howthose days of keen anxiety
”I came then to ask you the question I asked just now,” he said slowly ”It has been in my heart to ask it ever since that day you helpedmy life at the risk of your own But I had my mother to support then, in part, and the burden on me was too heavy for me to dare to put my personal happiness first There was a letter for ed my outlook pretty considerably, and left me free to do as I liked; so I caan Katherine, then stopped in some confusion
”Do Ito ask?” he said, laughing as he shi+fted his seat and took up the oars to bring the boat in to thepost under the boathouse; ”because that is just what I do e of keeping you; and there will be no e work for you then, I pro ashore, whistled for the dogs, then turned to hie work; fisher of the leisured classes, and I lad to earn an honest dollar where I can”
CHAPTER XXIX
Winter Again
Never had there been such excitee as when, following close on the safe return of the Mary, the tidings leaked out that Jervis Ferrars was going to marry Katherine Radford With a very few exceptions everyone was disappointed, for coiven him to Mary Selincourt, and Dame Rumour does not care to make mistakes Some there ho insisted that Mary Selincourt took the news badly, and looked pale for days afterwards; but these were the very wise ones, who always knew everything without any telling, who surprised, and ere never taken unawares
Mr Selincourt had his reached hiratulations, and to inform Katherine that he had expected it ever since he had been at Roaring Water Portage Katherine's eyes grew suspiciously di of the day when he had taken her into his confidence about Mary's love affair with Archie Rayuessed that he had told her on purpose to prevent her putting any belief in the ru Jervis and Mary
The person as most surprised was Mrs Burton So keenly reiven her sister about standing aside, that Katherine had to turn comforter, and assure the poor little woman that the well-meant counsel had done no serious harm But she shi+vered at the remembrance of how she had suffered; for the pain is always ht of other people's eyes
It was the last week in September when the Selincourts sailed froo south by river and trail, as they had coet to Montreal with dry feet, if they couldback next suer house would have to be built, and es were to take place on both sides of the river froed Katherine to ht take the heaviest of her burdens on his own shoulders He was to live in Mr Selincourt's house during the winter, and it seee to live there too But she could not selfishly take her own happiness while the others needed her so e until the spring cah to assuovernment of affairs, and her father would notdays ca that he could not alter her resolution, and secretly ad her all the more because of it, Jervis set hi as best he could This winter it was he who taught the night school, thus relieving Katherine of what had been a heavy and so burden There were more scholars this year; for the river was croith boats, so many fisher to co
The snow ca them in a full teeks sooner than usual But ”early coend at Seal Cove, and, since the winter had to come, the sooner it was over and done with the better
Idleness for the fishermen had been the rule in previous winters, and, as idleness is usually only another word for mischief and dissipation, the morals of the men had suffered seriously But next summer had to be prepared for, and as there was money in plenty to pay for the hich had to be done, it seemed probable that Mr Selincourt's plans would be pushed forward as fast as he desired
Astor M'Kree had set up a teae painted a brilliant blue, and in this equipage, or on snowshoes, he was up and down between his house and the bay several times in most days Some of the fishermen were fairly expert carpenters, and these found the winter brought them as much work as the summer had done, with less risk and better pay
To Katherine the weeks of winter passed like a dream Sometimes she contrasted them with the dark, anxious weeks of the previous winter, when the nightmare trouble about her father had first descended upon her She was a keener business wo, quicker to see as the right thing to do under the circumstances of the moment; but her chief aim this winter was to stand back and push Miles forward so that other people ht understand as to be business chief of the establishment in the future Whenever Jervis could spare time to come over the river and help Phil in the store, Katherine had Miles for co journeys which were still necessary here and there
It was pure comedy nohen they went to the Indian encaht to believe that a person could have any sound, reliable judg; so, when Katherine appealed to Miles regarding every skin offered in barter, the red rew doubtful, and finally they veered round to a respectful attitude towards the young trades
Mr Selincourt had arranged for an intermittent postal service between Maxoha the winter TwoWater Portage in this way; then three months passed with never a word fro the little isolated colony on the bay shore, and the people thus cut off could not understand the reason why no tidings reached theone up to Ochre Lake, where a company of Indians had made themselves winter quarters, they ca mails
Ochre Lake was, as usual, frozen solid, except at one end, where an enormous quantity of fish was to be found It was nearly the end of March, but as yet there was not the slightest prospect of the frost breaking up The nights were getting shorter, and the days were brilliant with sunshi+ne, but it was only a cold brilliance as yet