"The leg's getting along satisfactorily?" he said at length.

Hawtrey, who appeared unusually thoughtful, admitted that it was.

"Any way, it's singularly unfortunate that I'm broken up just now," he
added. "There's the ploughing to commence in a week or two, and,
besides that, I was thinking of getting married."

Wyllard was somewhat astonished at this announcement. For one thing,
he was more or less acquainted with the state of his friend's finances.
During the next moment or two he glanced meditatively through the open
door into the adjoining room, where Sally Creighton was busy beside the
stove. The sleeves of her light bodice were rolled up well above the
elbow, and she had pretty, round arms, which were just then partly
immersed in dough.

"I don't think there's a nicer or more capable girl in this part of
Assiniboia," he said.

"Oh, yes," said Hawtrey. "Anybody would admit that. Still, since you
seem so sure of it, why don't you marry her yourself?"

Wyllard looked at his comrade rather curiously. "Well," he said,
"there are one or two reasons that don't affect Miss Sally and only
concern myself. Besides, it's highly improbable that she'd have me."

He paused to light his pipe, which had gone out, before he looked up
again. "Since it evidently isn't Sally, have I met the lady?"

"You haven't. She's in England."

"It's four years, isn't it, since you were over there?"

Hawtrey lay silent a minute, and then made a little confidential
gesture. "I'd better tell you all about the thing," he said. "Our
folks were people of some little standing in the county. In fact, as
they were far from rich, they had just standing enough to embarrass
them. In most respects they were ultra-conventional with old-fashioned
ideas, and, though there was no open break, I'm afraid I didn't get on
with them quite as well as I should have done, which is why I came out
to Canada. They started me on the land decently, and twice when we'd
harvest frost and horse-sickness, they sent the draft I asked them for
along. That is one reason why I'm not going to worry them, though I'd
very much like another now. You see, there are two girls, as well as
Reggie, who's reading for the Bar."

"I don't think you have mentioned the lady yet."

"She's a connection of some friends of ours. Her mother, so far as I
understand it, married beneath her--a man her folks didn't like. He
died, and, when by and bye his wife died, Agatha,