evening when the party broke up.

The engineer whom the subscribers sent North returned with a
satisfactory report, and Thirlwell got to work. He had much to do, and
although he was undecided about the future, resolved to stay until he
had opened up the vein. From the beginning he had to grapple with
numerous obstacles, for when he drove his adit the water broke in and
the rock was treacherous. Still he had tunneled far enough to escape the
frost when winter began, and the snow that stopped all surface work made
transport easier. One could travel straight across divides and frozen
lakes, and the sledges ran smoothly on the ice. When the trail south was
broken he built shacks at the camping places and kept a gang of
half-breeds felling trees and improving the road.

After some months, he found it necessary to visit the railroad
settlement, and reaching it one evening, tired and numbed by cold,
followed his sledge to the hotel in a thoughtful mood. For one thing, he
must write to Strange, whose last letter had hinted that he was anxious,
and it would be hard to send an encouraging report. The ore was good,
but the vein was thin and expensive to work. In fact, the working cost
was much higher than he had thought. When he entered the hotel he was
dazzled by the light, and the sudden change of temperature made him
dizzy. He stopped, wondering whether his eyes had deceived him, as a man
dressed in clothes that were obviously English came forward.

"Hallo, Jim!" said the latter.

"Allott!" exclaimed Thirlwell. "What are you doing here?"

The other laughed. "I left Helen at New York. She's going to Florida for
the winter with her American friends and I thought I'd look you up
before I followed. I've news, but it will keep until you have had some
food."

Had Thirlwell not been an important man, he would probably have had to
wait until next morning for a meal, but the landlord's wife bustled
about and supper was soon on the table. There were no other guests, and
when Thirlwell's appetite was satisfied he and Allott pulled their
chairs to the stove. The floor was not covered, the rough board walls
were cracked, and a tarry liquid dripped from the bend where the
stovepipe pierced the ceiling.

"The hotel is not luxurious and they have very crude ideas about
cookery, but they tried to suit my fastidious taste when I told them I
was a friend of yours," Allott remarked. "However, I don't suppose you
are remarkably comfortable