d, with a warmth of
real feeling in her smiling eyes, "I thank you for the thought. I thank
you right from the bottom of my heart."

Marcel remained quite undisturbed. He sat deliberately puffing at his
absurdly ornamented pipe, his honest eyes meditatively smiling. The
girl's rejection of his offer only made him the more determined. At last
he stirred, and sat up cross-legged, and, removing his pipe, pointed his
words with its stem, as though to drive them more fully home.

"That's all right," he said. "I'm making no kick on that. It just makes
me feel how sore you need those pelts, and how right I am to want to
hand 'em to you. I've told you what I fancy doing. Now we'll form a
committee and negotiate. Folks always form committees when they can't
agree, and then they can't agree worse. Committees always elect one of
their members chairman, and he has a casting vote. We're a committee of
two, so we'll elect a chairman, and that'll make three--chairman with
casting vote. I'll elect myself chairman. That way we'll have no sort of
difficulty. All in favour, etc." He thrust up both hands and his pipe
while he boyishly gazed up at them with a triumphant smile.

"Carried unanimously," he cried. "Now I've two says to your one----"

"I was reckoning it was more than that," Keeko interrupted, laughing.

"Were you? Maybe you're right," Marcel agreed. "Well, say, let's cut the
fooling. See here, Keeko," he went on earnestly. "I've got all the pelts
you need to my own share. I wouldn't be robbing even an Eskimo, who most
folks reckon to rob. As for me, I'm no sort of real trader. I just hunt
pelts because it suits me, and I like to hear Lorson Harris squeal when
I make him pay my prices. Still, you don't reckon to accept, that way.
That being so, how's this? I'm just free as air to hunt where I choose.
My outfit's scattered, and each hunts on his own. Well, I've all the
catch I need. You can guess that, seeing I've given nine days and nights
to trailing this old moose that isn't worth the cost of the powder that
shot him up. Cut me out as a trader. Just take me on as guide. I'll join
your outfit till it freezes up, and I'll find you the best foxes the
North Country ever produced. I'll promise you that three thousand
dollars and to spare. It isn't bluff. It's just God's truth. And if you
feel like you're sick to death of the sight of what folks who's friendly
call my face any old time, why you only need to say things, and I'll h