ho paused a moment, turned towards Agatha with a little
whimsical inclination. "The professional badinage of an unlicensed
dealer in patent medicines may now and then mercifully cover a good
deal of embarrassment. Miss Ismay has brought something pleasantly
characteristic of the Old Country along with her."

His hostess disregarded the last remark. "Then if you didn't expect to
sell us anything, what did you come for?"

"For supper," said Sproatly cheerfully. "Besides that, to take Miss
Rawlinson a drive. I told her last night it would afford me
considerable pleasure to show her the prairie. We could go round by
Lander's and back."

"Then you will probably come across her somewhere about the straw-pile
with the kiddies."

Sproatly took the hint, and when he went out Mrs. Hastings laughed.

"You would hardly suppose that was a young man of excellent education?"
she said. "So it's on Winifred's account he has driven over; at first
I fancied it was on yours."

Agatha was astonished, but she smiled. "If Winifred favours him with
her views about young men he will probably be rather sorry for himself.
He lives near you?"

"No," said Mrs. Hastings; "in the summer he lives in his waggon, or
under it, I don't know which. Of course, if he's really taken with
Winifred he will have to alter that."

"But he has only seen her once--you can't mean that he is serious."

"I really can't speak for Sproatly, but it would be quite in keeping
with the customs of the country if he was."

A minute or two later Agatha saw Winifred in the waggon when it
reappeared from behind the strawpile, and Mrs. Hastings turned towards
the window.

"She has gone with him," she said significantly. "Unfortunately, he
has taken my kiddies too. If he brings them back with no bones broken
it will be a relief to me."

CHAPTER XII.

WANDERERS.

Agatha had spent a month with Mrs. Hastings when the latter, who was
driving over to Wyllard's homestead with her one afternoon, pulled up
her team while they were still some little distance away from it, and
looked about her with evident interest. On the one hand, a vast
breadth of torn-up loam ran back across the prairie, which was now
faintly flecked with green. On the other, ploughing teams were
scattered here and there across the tussocky sod, and long lines of
clods that flashed where the sunlight struck their facets trailed out
behind them. The great sweep of grasses that rustle