to approve my guests. I wanted you to sell the store, because, if I'm
satisfied with Langrigg, you mayn't come back. There's no real
difficulty about your coming. In fact, you have got to come."

Mrs. Winter hesitated, as if she were thinking hard, and then her
gentle face got resolute. "Very well. I'd like Carrie to see the Old
Country."

Jim turned to the others with a triumphant smile. "It's fixed. Your
mother will need you, Carrie, and I'll need my partner. We have put
over some hard jobs and I imagine I'm up against another now. I want
you, Jake; you have got to see me out."

"Since I don't know your folks and their habits, it isn't plain how I
could help," Jake replied.

"I don't know much. What about it? We made good prospecting when we
had never used the rocker and thawn-out gravel. We graded the
pack-trail across Snowy Range when we didn't know how to drill and
start off giant-powder. Well, we're going to make good at Langrigg if
I stay."

"Then I'll come, for a time," Jake agreed and looked at Carrie.

"I wouldn't like to be left alone," she said and smiled.

Jim was satisfied. He had carried out his plan and it was significant
that Carrie was willing to go; if Martin had attracted her; she would
sooner have remained behind. In a way, he thought it strange that Mrs.
Winter, from whom he had expected most opposition, was the first to
agree, but this was not important.

After a time they went to the Stanley park, where Jake and Mrs. Winter
met somebody they knew. Carrie sat down on a bench under a giant fir
and Jim lighted a cigarette.

"You and Jake rather puzzled me," he remarked. "You weren't curious;
I'd a feeling that things were not the same."

Carrie gave him a steady look. "I'm afraid we were very mean--but
there was a difference. You were one of us when you went away; you
came back an English landowner."

"Ah," said Jim, "I think I see! You wanted to give me a chance to drop
you? Did you think I would?"

"No," said Carrie, blushing. "But it was possible. Cutting the line
was different; it was a business proposition." She paused and added
with a hint of regret: "It's finished now."

"Sometimes I think you're sorry."

Carrie said nothing and he went on: "Was Jake's throwing up his job and
bringing me down from the shack a business proposition? Your nursing
me and our long talks by the camp fire? Did you think I could forget
these things? Did you want me to for