the crop next year."

"I do blame him," and Mrs. Hastings turned to Agatha. "You will
understand that in a general way there's not much that can be done when
the snow's upon the ground, and as one result of it the hired man
prefers to engage himself for the year. To secure himself from being
turned adrift when harvest's over he will frequently make a concession
in wages. Now I know Harry intended to keep those two men on, and Tom
Moran, who has a little half-cleared ranch back somewhere in the bush
of Ontario, came out here tempted by higher wages. I understand he had
to raise a few dollars or give the place up, and he left his wife
behind. A good many of the little men can't live upon their holdings
all the while. Well, I'm going over on Monday to tell Gregory he has
got to keep them, and you're coming with me."

Agatha said nothing. In the first place, she knew that if Mrs.
Hastings had made her mind up she would gain nothing by objecting, and
in addition to this she was conscious of a certain desire to go. It
appeared in some respects an unreasonable wish, but she felt deep down
in her that if Wyllard had let the men understand that he would not
dismiss them the promise, implied or explicit, must be redeemed. He
would not have attempted to release himself from it--she was sure of
that--and it appeared intolerable to her that another should be
permitted to do anything that would unfavourably reflect on him. Then,
somewhat to her relief, Hastings started another topic.

"You have sold quite a few binders and harrows one way or another,
haven't you, Jim?" he said.

Sproatly laughed. "I have," he said. "As I told the Company's Western
representative some time ago, a man who could sell patent medicine to
the folks round here could do a good trade in anything. He admitted
that my contention sounded reasonable, but I didn't wear store clothes
then, and he seemed very far from sure of me. Anyway, he gave me a
show, and now I've got two or three quite complimentary letters from
the Company. They've added a few dollars to my salary, and hint that
it's possible they may put me in charge of an implement store."

"And you're satisfied?"

"Well," said Sproatly, with an air of reflection, "in some respects, I
suppose I am. In others, the thing's galling. You have to report who
you've called upon, and, if you couldn't do business, why they bought
somebody else's machines. If you can't get a farmer to take you