d Foster understood
that Lucy Stephen had money. For all that, if Lawrence was unwilling
to keep pace with him, he must be dragged. Foster frowned as he put
off matters that needed prompt attention until his return, and then
sent a telegram and caught the next west-bound train.

When he got down at the flag station his annoyance returned. If there
was any ground for his being sent for, he ought to have been told, and
if there was not, he had been caused a loss of time that could have
been well employed. He resolved to tell Lawrence his views upon this
as he took the road to the hotel, but stopped with a beating heart when
he entered the veranda.

Lawrence lounged negligently in a big chair and greeted him with a
smile, but his father, Mrs. Featherstone, and Alice sat close by, with
Mrs. Stephen and Lucy in the background. It cost Foster something of
an effort to preserve his calm, but he advanced to Mrs. Featherstone,
who gave him a look of quiet gratitude that repaid him for much.
Featherstone welcomed him heartily, but with a touch of embarrassment,
and then Foster thrilled as Alice gave him her hand. There was a
curious quiet confidence in her level glance, as if she meant that she
had known his promise would be kept. He did not remember what he said
to Mrs. Stephen and Lucy, but was grateful to Lawrence, who laughed.

"I imagined you'd get something of a surprise, Jake. In fact, when the
train stopped I pictured you coming up the road as fast as you could,
divided between anxiety and a determination to tell me what you
thought. Before that, when I got your curt telegram, I told Alice I
could see you frowning as you filled up the form."

"I didn't know Miss Featherstone was here," Foster replied awkwardly.

"That's obvious," Lawrence said, chuckling. "Candor's one of your
virtues. But what about the rest of us?"

Foster wished he had been more tactful and thought his comrade's
amusement might better have been restrained; but Lawrence resumed: "It
must have been annoying to leave the mill when you had much to do. The
curious thing is that when you set off from the Crossing with me you
declared you were tired of working for dollars."

"Mr. Foster's tiredness didn't prevent him from working for his
friends," Alice interposed.

"He must work, anyhow; that's the kind of man he is, and I don't
suppose he was much disappointed when he got a strenuous holiday."

Then Featherstone turned to Foster. "I i