"

Foster remarked the girl's blush. Since she knew so much, it was plain
that Lawrence had asked her to marry him and she had agreed. He
imagined that Lawrence wanted Mrs. Stephen to hear somebody else's
account of the matter, and although it would have been easier to talk
to Lawrence alone, he asked:

"Did you know the fellow was in Banff a day or two since?"

Lucy Stephen made an abrupt movement, and her mother looked interested.
She was a quiet lady and more reserved than the girl, but Foster
thought her intelligent and firm.

"I did not," said Lawrence. "As a matter of fact, I'm no longer afraid
of the fellow and mean to fight. He can't do me much harm--now."

The girl's shy glance at his comrade moved Foster. She knew what her
lover meant and valued his trust; but he could sympathize with Mrs.
Stephen, who looked disturbed. The latter was practical and no doubt
saw that Daly might give them trouble.

"You had better begin at the beginning, and then we'll understand why
you came back and how you got on Daly's trail," Lawrence resumed with a
hint of resignation.

"Very well; but first, why didn't you write?"

"I wrote twice. Once to my mother and once to you."

"We got no letters. Did you post them?"

"Ah!" said Lawrence, "that was unfortunate. I gave the first letter to
a steward to send ashore from a San Francisco boat. Walters put the
other in the mail."

"Who is Walters?"

"We'll come to him later. Get on with your story."

Foster told it as clearly as he could, though this took some time, and
when he had finished was annoyed by his comrade's smile. Lawrence
seldom took things seriously enough.

"Jake is a born meddler," he remarked to the others. "He can't resist
the temptation to put crooked matters right."

"It is a useful habit," said Mrs. Stephen quietly.

"Just so," Lawrence agreed. "Still it's a habit that ought to be
carefully controlled and not, so to speak, be indulged out of
sentimental impulses."

Foster felt embarrassed, although he thought he had said no more about
Carmen and Alice than was needed to make his narrative clear.

"First of all," Lawrence resumed, "he takes up my defense, then he must
help Carmen, and I think deserved the trouble in which she involved
him. Next he seems to have been moved by my sister's anxiety." He
paused and gave Foster a curious quiet smile. "I wondered what Alice
would think of you and hope she was grateful."

Foster saw Lu