e in the process of cleaning, and the red
stains on Vosper's hands did not repel her at all. She beheld the
smooth cascade of the rice as Bill poured it into the boiling water, her
own hand opened a can of dehydrated vegetables that was to give flavor
to the dish. She gave no particular thought to the fact that the hour
was revealing her not as an exquisite creature of a higher plane, but
simply a human animal with an empty stomach. If the thought did come to
her she didn't care. She only knew she was hungry,--hungry as she had
never dreamed she could be in all her days.

The white flesh of the grouse was put with the rice, one bird after
another, until it seemed impossible that four human beings could consume
them all. In went the seasoning, spaghetti and the vegetables, and not
even Lounsbury railed at the little handful of ashes that floated on top
the mixture. And Virginia exulted from head to toes when Bill passed
the tin plates.

It was well for Virginia's peace of mind that no one told her how much
she ate. In her particular set it wasn't a mark of breeding to eat too
heartily; and an entire grouse, at least two cups of the stew and
several inch-thick slices of bread with marmalade would have been
considered a generous meal even for a harvest-hand.

As soon as the meal was done she felt ready for bed. Bill ventured into
the darkness with an ax over his shoulder, but not until his return did
she understand his mission. His arms were heaped with fragrant spruce
boughs. These he laid on the cot in the cabin, spreading the blankets
he had provided for her over them. He placed the pillow and turned down
the blanket corners.

"Any time you like," he told her gently. "Vosper is putting up the
linen tent for we three men, and I'll build a fire in front of it to
keep us warm while we smoke. You must be tired."

She smiled wanly. "I am tired, Bronson," she confessed. "And thank
you, very much."

She didn't notice the wave of color that flowed into his bronzed cheeks
and the strange, jubilant light in his eyes. She only knew that she was
warm and full-fed, and the wind would bluster and threaten around her
cabin walls in vain.

For a long hour after Virginia was asleep Bill sat by the fireside
alone, his pipe glowing at his lips. Lounsbury had gone to his
blankets, Vosper was splitting wood for the morning's fire. As
often, late at night, he was held and intrigued by the mystery about
him,--the li