l settled. She is an angel, Jim, and she has promised to
be my wife. O, but God is good to me."

"I am glad, old man, I rejoice with you," said Sedgwick. "I hope with all
my heart no cloud will ever cross the sunshine of your lives." Then he
relapsed again into his moody way.

"What ails you, Jim?" asked Browning. "Does this great babel oppress your
spirits?"

"I believe it does, Jack," he answered. "I was just thinking as you came
in that I had better pull out for home. The atmosphere here is like a
drift without any air-pipe."

"Nonsense," said Browning; "you cannot go. You must wait for my wedding.
It would be all spoiled without you. I was planning it on the way. It
will be in the church, of course, just before midday. You will be the
best man--as usual. You and my sister shall do the honors that day. All
my friends will be there. I will have the church smothered in flowers.
I will corrupt the organist, bribe the choir, double-bank the preacher in
advance, and we will all have a rousing time. We will, by Jove!"

Sedgwick smiled at his friend's happiness, and said: "Did you ever think
that maybe I would be a little out of training for a performance of that
kind? I think I would sooner risk keeping my seat on a wild mustang."

"You can do it, Sedgwick," said Jack. "You must do it. I would not feel
half married unless you were present, and then, did you not promise to
come and see me through?"

"Who will give away the bride?" asked Sedgwick.

The question seemed to startle Browning. "That reminds me," he said,
doubtingly, "that I have neither seen my governor nor old man Jenvie.
I left home telling mother and Grace that before I went home to live I
would have to be invited by the governor. And that reminds me, too, Jim,
there must not be a word about my money. I have only carried the idea
that I worked for three years in the mines in America. They will reckon
it up and conclude that if I was prudent I may have saved L400 or L500."

"That reminds me," said Sedgwick, "that no one must know that I have
anything more than the savings of three or four years' work. It would
give you away if the facts were known about my little fortune. But, Jack,
could you not get along just as well without me? You ought to be in your
own home and ought to enjoy every moment of time, while I am, in this
vast waste of houses, what one solitary monkey would be in a South
American wilderness."

"I will not hear of it, old pard," said