ed in after the Methodist service.

"He's back at the gate with the boys, Mother," said Ellen with affected
carelessness. "He'll likely be in later."

Bruce did come in later with John, but he did not stay late and went
home when Annie and Katie left.

Of course Joanna did not fail to notice the change in Bruce and remark
upon it. There was a little crowd at the Lindsays one evening to see
Mary, when the McKenzie contingent entered without him.

"Where's your family doctor, Ellen?" Joanna inquired. "You'll have to
look after your fellow better than you're doing!"

Ellen looked at her with quiet dignity, but her cheeks grew crimson.

"It's very good of you to be so interested in him, Joanna," she said.

"Course I'm interested in all my neighbours. Here's the whole McKenzie
outfit, every one of them, but your particular one. Annie, you keep
Bruce tied up as close as Ma Sutherland does her little boy. What have
you done with him?"

Annie McKenzie was Ellen's close friend. She looked embarrassed.

"He's tired. He's been working in the field all day and now he's got
studying to do at night," she declared hurriedly.

"My! If you let him study that hard he ought to be a doctor about next
Christmas! Maybe he's hurrying up so's he can get married a year or
two sooner!"

Ellen's face grew pale, but Mary was there. Mary Lindsay had always
been a match for Joanna in a quiet elusive way, and now from the
vantage ground of a rather brilliant marriage Mary McGillivray was
still more to be feared.

"Oh, Joanna," she said suavely, "a long piece of your hair is hanging
down at the back. There's a looking-glass on the wall over there where
Trooper's standing. Would you like to go and fix it?"

Joanna flounced away into the bed-room completely routed. There was
something subtle about Mary that one could not combat.

Bruce dropped in late at the next practice that was held in the church.
He sat in the back seat and talked with the other boys during
intermission, but his very presence seemed to make Ellen happy. She
became radiant, and chatted and laughed gaily with the other girls,
looking handsomer than she had for many a day.

When they started home, Christina, with an eye for Gavin, kept
carefully in the crowd. But Gavin had turned and gone away at once
with the other boys who were unattached. And with the perversity of a
woman's mind Christina felt a little hurt. She wondered why he seemed
to have sto