more or less remote future. He summoned all
his philosophy to his aid. Perhaps by the time she did make up her mind
to quit him he would have acquired some little degree of resignation, or
at least would not be caught as unprepared as he frankly confessed
himself to be at the moment.

The spring, which brought many new occupations, mostly out of doors, had
passed, and summer was past its zenith. Frank had worked untiringly from
dawn to dark, so wearied that he frequently found it difficult to keep
his eyes open until supper was over. But his enthusiasm never flagged.
If everything went as well as he hoped, the additional quarter-section
was assured. For some reason or other, possibly because he was beginning
to feel a reaction after the hard work of the summer, Nora fancied that
his spirits were less high than usual. He talked less of the coveted
land than was his custom. She, herself, had never, in all her healthy
life, felt so glowing with health and strength. She, too, had worked
hard, finding almost every day some new task to perform. But aside from
the natural fatigue at night, which long hours of dreamless sleep
entirely dissipated, she felt all the better for her new experiences.
For one thing, her steady improvement in all the arts of the good
housewife made her daily routine much easier as well as giving her much
secret satisfaction. Never in her life had she looked so well. The
summer sun had given her a color which was most becoming.

CHAPTER XVI

One afternoon, shortly after dinner, she had gone out to gather a
nosegay of wild flowers to brighten her little living-room. She was
busily engaged in arranging them in a pudding bowl, smiling to think
that her hand had lost none of the cunning to which Miss Wickham had
always paid grudging tribute, even if her improvised vase was of homely
ware, when she heard her husband's step at the door. It was so unusual
for him to return at this hour that for a moment she was almost
startled.

"_I_ didn't know you were about."

"Oh," he said easily, "I ain't got much to do to-day. I've been out with
Sid Sharp and a man come over from Prentice."

"From Prentice?"

Having arranged her flowers to her satisfaction, she stepped back to
view the effect. At that moment her husband's eye fell on them.

"Say, what you got there?"

"Aren't they pretty? I picked them just now. They're so gay and
cheerful."

"Very." But his tone had none of the enthusiasm with whic