ce at him.

"It was partly Major Kinnaird's idea. You made use of it?"

Weston smiled.

"Grenfell and I did. That explains the state of my attire. You see, we
have just come down from the bush."

Then, somewhat to her astonishment, he took out his watch, and pointed
to the guard. It was of plain plaited leather, and had, she fancied,
probably cost about twenty-five cents.

"I don't know whether this could be considered part of a prospecting
outfit, but they had a bunch of them in the store," he said. "I felt I
should like some trifle that I could wear to remember our trip in the
ranges. I thought you wouldn't mind."

A momentary trace of embarrassment became visible in his companion's
face. The man was a bush packer, and she had seen him in somewhat
disreputable company, but she was ready to admit that he had aroused
her curiosity. She could be honest, and she would have admitted it as
readily had she never heard from Arabella Kinnaird of his connection
with the old hall in England. She looked at him, with a little laugh.

"Oh," she said, "everybody likes to be remembered, and I'm no
exception in that respect. There is really no reason why you shouldn't
have bought the guard."

Weston, who felt that he had gone quite far enough, merely bent his
head in a manner that, as she naturally noticed, the average bush
packer would not have adopted. It was she who first spoke again.

"You were successful in your search?" she asked.

Weston laughed.

"Do I look like a man who has just found a goldmine?"

"Well," said the girl, with a twinkle in her eyes, "I came across two
successful prospectors in Vancouver not long ago, and there was really
nothing to suggest it in their appearance. So you didn't find the
mine? Won't you tell me about your journey?"

"It's quite a story. Won't the others miss you?"

Ida turned toward him suddenly.

"Don't you mean more than that?"

"Well," admitted Weston slowly, "I think I did. Perhaps it was a
liberty."

"It was," said Ida, and, though she laughed, there was a little flash
in her eyes. "Major Kinnaird and his wife are English, and it is quite
possible that they would not be pleased to hear that I had come out to
talk with you on the platform of a car. Still, in Canada we have our
own notions as to what is fitting, and that I consider it perfectly
natural that I should do so is quite sufficient for me. I do not defer
to anybody's opinion as to how I should treat my friends