t seen Wallace Sutherland since the day he had
disappeared from her view in the black mist that had rolled up over her
with the news that Gavin was killed. Her mind had been too much racked
to think of him since, but now that it was at rest she remembered him
with a feeling of shame. So she sat down and wrote him a letter,
telling him humbly and frankly all the truth, how Gavin had held her
heart long before she realised it. She begged him to forgive her if
she had done him any injury and ended up by the tactful hint that as
their association had been a pleasant friendship, in which the
kindnesses had been so many and so generous on his side, she hoped he
would think of her with pleasure, and that they would always continue
to be friends.

But Wallace was thinking of Christina with feelings entirely the
reverse of pleasant. And his mother was thinking very bitter thoughts
about her indeed. For just when Mrs. Sutherland had become reconciled
to her son's changed prospects, and when Uncle William was doing
handsomely by the boy, when there was every prospect that Wallace would
soon be married and be safe from the recruiting officers, with a farm
and a wife and a widowed mother between him and military service, when
everything had turned out better than she had dared to hope, suddenly
the whole fabric of her plans came crashing about her ears. And all
owing to the outrageous conduct of a girl who had thrown her son aside
for a farm boy, merely for the glamour of a medal won on the
battlefield!

It was really very hard on poor Mrs. Sutherland, and Christina was
overcome with shame when she thought of her. For Wallace sold the Ford
place to Mrs. Johnnie Dunn for a shamefully low figure and went off to
the States where quite likely some wicked sleuth of a recruiting
officer would find him and send him to the war after all.

Christina was very humble and very much ashamed of herself, but it was
hard to worry over Wallace when such wonderful things were happening in
one's own life. For before the apple blossoms came to decorate the
orchard for her birthday, Sandy was home to help celebrate. Even the
news that he was wounded came as a relief from the strain of waiting.
At least he was off the battlefield. And then it proved that the wound
was not serious; but he was lame and unfit for more active service and
was coming home to finish his course at college if that were at all
possible.

And Uncle Neil took out his