of spades," Talbot
returned.

"Are you sure it's not the breaking of hearts?" Stephen laughed back
from the fire by which he was sitting. "Well, you'll see Katrine any
way. Tell her--"

"My dear fellow," interrupted Talbot, impatiently, "I'm not going to see
her. I shall have as much as I can do to be back here before mid-day
to-morrow," and he went out before the amazed Stephen could say another
word.

"Going down town and not going to see Katrine! why, he must be mad,"
ejaculated Stephen mentally; "wonder what his own girl's like anyway."
Then he tossed himself back on the rug and looked at a little
postage-stamp photograph Katrine had given him of herself, which he had
stuck on the fly-leaf of his Greek testament.

The following morning, before it was fully light, found Talbot toiling
up to the west gulch on foot. He had made an early start, as he wanted
to be back before the men began work, and the air hung round one and
against one's cheek like a sodden blanket in the dusky dawn. It took him
over three hours to make the distance, and when he reached his cabin he
felt chilled through. All his muscles were stiff and numb from the long
climb. He felt a longing to sit down and rest and get a little warmth
kindled in his half-frozen limbs. The first thing that encountered him
at the main door, which led into the block composed of his own cabin and
the tunnel, was a sheet of smooth ice, only an inch deep perhaps, but
glazing over the ground from where he stood to his own door. He saw at
once what had happened: the waste water from the workings had been
diverted from its proper outlet, and had simply run freely at its own
will over the level ground. Talbot's face darkened as his eyes rested on
it. It was Marley's business to see that the egress for the water was
kept free and unblocked with ice, and only yesterday he had given him
orders to attend to it. It was the second or third time he had returned
to find the entrance to his own house almost impassable. Crossing over
with difficulty the frozen stream, he looked into his cabin. There was
about a foot of muddy water and ice covering the floor and floating his
slippers and some pairs of socks he had left by the hearth. The fire was
out, and the lower part of the stove filled with mud and water. The bed
was completely soddened, the blankets and quilt dabbling in the water.
He did not go beyond the threshold. After a minute's survey he turned
and walked down the tunn