e
that he'll soon get over it."

"You feel sure of that?" and Mrs. Hastings smiled.

"Isn't it evident? If he had cared much about her he certainly
wouldn't have gone away."

"You mean you wouldn't?"

"No," said Hawtrey, "there's no doubt of that."

His companion smiled again. "Well," she said drily, "I would like to
think you were right about Harry; it would be a relief to me."

Hawtrey, who said nothing further, presently drove away, and soon after
he did so Agatha approached Mrs. Hastings.

"There's something I must ask you," she said. "Has Gregory consented
to take charge of Wyllard's farm?"

"He has," said her companion in her dryest tone.

Agatha's face flushed, and there was a flash in her eyes.

"Oh," she said, "it's almost insufferable!"

Then she turned and left Mrs. Hastings without another word.

She only saw Wyllard once again, and that was when he called at the
homestead early one morning. He got down from the waggon where Dampier
sat, and shook hands with her and Allen and Mrs. Hastings. Very few
words were spoken, and she could not remember what she said, but when
he swung himself up again and the waggon jolted away into the white
prairie she went back to the house with her heart beating unpleasantly
fast and a very curious feeling of depression.

CHAPTER XV.

THE BEACH.

For a fortnight after they reached Vancouver Wyllard and Dampier were
very busy. They had various difficulties to contend with, for while
they would have preferred to slip away to sea as quietly as possible a
British vessel's movements are fenced about with many formalities, and
they did not wish to ship a white man who could be dispensed with.
Wyllard fancied there were sailormen and sealers in Vancouver and down
Puget Sound who would have gone with him, but there was a certain
probability of their discussing their exploits afterwards in the
saloons ashore, which was about the last thing that he desired. It
appeared essential that he should avoid notoriety as much as possible.

He had further trouble about obtaining provisions and general
necessaries, for considerably more attention than the free-lance
sealers cared about was being bestowed upon the North just then, and he
did not desire to rouse the curiosity of the dealers as to why he was
filling his lazaret up with Arctic stores. He obviated that difficulty
by dividing his orders among the whole of them, and buying as little as
possible. Dampier,