unate you came along when you did."

Acton waved his hand. "I'm open to admit that Hutton has a voice like
a boring bit. It would go through a door, any way. It's a thing he
ought to remember."

"There is still a point or two I am not very clear upon;" and Nasmyth
looked at him steadily.

Acton smiled again. "The fact is, Mrs. Acton gave me some instructions
concerning you. She said I was to see you through." He made an
expressive gesture. "She seemed to figure it might be advisable."

"Well," said Nasmyth reflectively, "I fancy she was right."

They said nothing further, but Nasmyth was unusually thoughtful as
they proceeded towards the water-front.

CHAPTER XVII

AN EVENTFUL DAY

It was about eleven o'clock on a cloudy, unsettled morning when
Nasmyth stood knee-deep in a swirling river-pool, holding a
landing-net and watching Miss Hamilton, who stood on a neighbouring
bank of shingle with a light trout-rod in her hand. The rod was bent,
and the thin line, which was drawn tense and rigid, ripped through the
surface of the pool, while there was also a suggestion of tension in
the pose of the girl's figure. She was gazing at the moving line, with
a fine crimson in her cheeks and a brightness in her eyes.

"Oh," she cried, "I'm afraid I'm going to lose it, after all."

Nasmyth smiled reassuringly. "Keep the butt well down, and your thumb
upon the reel," he continued. "You have only to keep on a steady
strain."

A big silvery object broke the surface a dozen yards away, and then,
while the reel clinked, went down again; but the line was moving
towards Nasmyth now, and, in another minute or two, he flung a sharp
warning at the girl as he made a sweep with the net. Then he
floundered ashore, dripping, with the gleaming trout, which he laid at
her feet.

"You ran that fish very well," he told her. "In fact, there were one
or two moments when I never expected you to hold it."

The colour grew a little plainer in his companion's face, though
whether this was due to his commendation or to elation at her own
success was a question. As she had just caught her first big fish, it
was, perhaps, the latter.

"Oh," she said complacently, "it isn't so very difficult after all.
But I wonder what can have become of the others of our party?"

It was at least an hour since Nasmyth had last seen their companions
considerably lower down the river. He and Miss Hamilton had pushed on
ahead of them into the Bush, whic