introduction of Mr. Philip Kendrick as the private secretary
of the President of the Canadian Lake Shores Railway with the latter's
full authority to act as his representative. There was no doubting the
authenticity of it.

To relieve her embarrassment Kendrick hastened to explain in detail.
It was only natural that she should have supposed him to be in league
with Podmore. Had he but known she was on that train he could have
told her everything and have saved her the inconveniences of the
present predicament; but he had supposed her to be already at her
destination.

She told him how her train had been held up by a freight wreck between
Toronto and North Bay; so that she had missed connections there and had
been forced to wait over for twenty-four hours.

"Hadn't we better be moving, Miss Lawson?" he suggested. "We'll have
to hoof it to Thorlakson's and it's a good five miles from here. We
can talk as we walk along."

He took her arm to assist her to her feet, but when she attempted to
stand up she sat down again so suddenly that Kendrick thought she was
going to faint.

"You are hurt!" he cried in alarm and was down beside her in a trice.

"Oh, it's nothing--just a turned ankle. It can't be very bad."

Nevertheless he would not let her stand on it until he had gone back to
the rill to dip in the cold water the sleeve which he tore from his
shirt; with this he bandaged the ankle tightly. As he steadied her to
her feet again he could see that in spite of her attempt to smile the
pain was acute for a moment. She tried the injured foot gingerly and
presently was able to limp without his support.

"There, you see! It's getting stronger every minute," she laughed.

"You are a brave girl," he said.

"You wouldn't say that if you knew how dreadfully frightened I am of
bugs. Are there really any bears in the woods here, Mr. Kendrick?"
She shuddered slightly in spite of herself.

"Bugbears!" growled Kendrick. "I apologize for that, Miss Lawson. I
should have known better. You're shivering," he cried with concern.

"Are you cold?"

"I am a li--ittle chi--illy," she admitted as she put a hand to her
chin to keep her teeth from chattering.

He grasped her other hand.

"It's like ice!" he reproached. "Why didn't you tell me? The nights
are cold in these northern latitudes even in summer, and I'm a proper
chump to have allowed you to sit still so long." He clucked his tongue
in self-abasement. "Yo