iving, differences of habit. Already in the happy exercise of his
hospitable instinct he saw how Hesketh would get on with his mother,
with Stella, with Dr Drummond. He saw Hesketh interested, domiciled,
remaining--the ranch life this side of the Rockies, Lorne thought, would
tempt him, or something new and sound in Winnipeg. He kept his eye
open for chances, and noted one or two likely things. "We want labour
mostly," he said to Advena, "but nobody is refused leave to land because
he has a little money."

"I should think not, indeed," remarked Mrs Murchison, who was present.
"I often wish your father and I had had a little more when we began.
That whole Gregory block was going for three thousand dollars then. I
wonder what it's worth now?"

"Yes, but you and Father are worth more, too," remarked Stella acutely.

"In fact, all the elder members of the family have approximated in
value, Stella," said her brother, "and you may too, in time."

"I'll take my chance with the country," she retorted. They were all
permeated with the question of the day; even Stella, after holding
haughtily aloof for some time, had been obliged to get into step, as
she described it, with the silly old Empire. Whatever it was in England,
here it was a family affair; I mean in the town of Elgin, in the shops
and the offices, up and down the tree-bordered streets as men went
to and from their business, atomic creatures building the reef of
the future, but conscious, and wanting to know what they were about.
Political parties had long declared themselves, the Hampden Debating
Society had had several grand field nights. Prospective lifelong
friendships, male and female in every form of "the Collegiate," had been
put to this touchstone, sometimes with shattering effect. If you would
not serve with Wallingham the greatness of Britain you were held to
favour going over to the United States; there was no middle course.
It became a personal matter in the ward schools and small boys pursued
small boys with hateful cries of "Annexationist!" The subject even
trickled about the apple-barrels and potato-bags of the market square.
Here it should have raged, pregnant as it was with bucolic blessing; but
our agricultural friends expect nothing readily except adverse weather,
least of all a measure of economic benefit to themselves. Those of Fox
County thought it looked very well, but it was pretty sure to work out
some other way. Elmore Crow failed heavily to