se than from real feeling when
she consented to become engaged to Richard Peveril. As a popular
Oxford man and stroke of the 'varsity eight he was a hero to attract
almost any girl. His wealth was by no means to be despised, and it
would certainly be a fine thing to have him in devoted attendance
during her proposed trip to Norway. She was greatly disappointed at
his failure to rejoin them, and wondered what he could mean by
announcing the loss of his fortune when he was still the owner of a
gold-mine.

Miss Rose said "gold"-mine to herself, because, while Peveril had not
specified the character of his property, she imagined all Western
mines to be gold-bearing. Of course, too, their owners must be
wealthy. So she hoped for the best; and, while realizing that she was
not at all in love, determined to let her engagement hold good for the
present.

Under the circumstances she felt that this decision was very
creditable to her loyalty, which, however, was sadly shaken by Owen's
first gossipy letter from New York. With its disquieting news still
fresh in her mind, she received a second that completely dispelled
her illusions, and caused her to wonder how she could ever have been
so foolish as to engage herself to a man of whom she knew so little.

This second letter, which contained the cruel distortion of facts
penned by Mr. Owen in Red Jacket, followed the Bonnifays to Norway,
where it was received. Acting on the impulse acquired by reading it,
Rose immediately sat down and wrote to Peveril the letter that reached
him in due course of time, but which he lost without even having
broken its seal.

He had joyfully recognized the handwriting of its address, but was at
the same time puzzled to know how Rose could have learned his present
abiding-place. Now he was filled with consternation at his
carelessness. Of course, though, he must have dropped the letter while
transferring the contents of his pockets, and he would surely find it
again upon his return to the Trefethen cottage.

At Laughing Fish Cove the log-wrecking party was landed, shortly after
noon, near a fishing settlement of half a dozen forlorn-appearing huts
that stood in an irregular row on the beach. A few slatternly women,
and twice their number of wild-eyed children, were the sole occupants
of the place, for its men were away on the lake tending their nets.

Again was Peveril disappointed to learn, from the appearance and
conversation of these people,