han the
thoughtless fishermen in your clubs."

Bolton looked a little glum. But he behaved like a gentleman, and
cheered up. "Well, well," he said, "of course--you know--your friends,
my friends! I'll be glad to meet them, and hear what they have to say,
and consider it all very, very seriously. I promised you that, dearest,
you remember. But that reminds me--there are two of the men on the
_Ste. Marjorie_ now, at the club-house--Colonel Lang and the Doctor--old
Harvey, you know--fine old chap. It's only twenty miles away. Couldn't
we send word to them and ask them to come down for to-morrow? I'm so
proud and happy about it all; I'd like to have them here, if you don't
mind."

"Why, certainly," she answered, smiling with manifest pleasure, "that
will be delightful. We'll send a messenger at once with a note to them.
But stop a moment--I have a better plan than that! Why not drive over
yourself, this afternoon, to invite them? You'll be glad to see them
again; and if you stay here you'll only be in the way until to-morrow,"
laughed she. "Why not go over and spend the night at the club-house and
come back early in the morning? That will be quite like the ancient
days--the young adventurer hurrying out of the forest to meet his
bride."

Bolton insisted that he couldn't think of it--didn't want to go--would
much rather stay where he was. But Ethel was captivated with the
novelty of the idea. She always liked her own plans. Besides, she
really wished to have him out of the way for the rest of the day and
the evening. There was a good deal to be done--letters to be written--a
long, personal, uplifting talk with Nancy Bangs, and with Gladys, and
with Victoria, and with each of her brothers separately--just
half-an-hour of soul-counsel for each one: three hours altogether. She
would see them in regular succession, beginning with the youngest
brother, and winding up with Nancy. Then she was charmed with the
picture of Bolton coming in, post haste, in the morning, as if he had
just arrived from a journey across the great northern wilderness. So
she carried her point, and when he had agreed to it, he found that he
rather liked the plan too. It gave him something to do, a chance to
practise his habit of putting things through with determination.

He sent a messenger over to _Sacre Coeur_ at once, to say that he was
coming and that a canoe should meet him at the landing-place on the
North-East Branch. He finished up all the arr