irst, Flo, how it fared with you by the way."

"Oh, that is soon told. After you left me I remained with old Mrs
Crowder in peaceful serenity until Rooney came back from Quebec, and
then I consulted with him as to the possibility of getting down here
before the close of winter. Being an old nor'-wester, and an Irishman,
he had his answer ready. `Sure,' said he, `there's nothin' aisier. The
masther bade me go down to Jenkins Creek wi' the things as soon as
possible, which or'narily mains faster than yer able, so I meant to be
off to-morrow be daybreak on fut, wid a sled behind me. But if your
ladyship intinds to honour me wid yer company, this is how we cud do it.
I'll hire a sleigh an' drive ye down to Sam Small's hut. I know that
Sam has got one or two sleds and teams of dogs, for, like myself, he's
an owld nor'-wester, an' likes to revive owld memories by takin' a trip
now an' then in the owld fashion. There's no road av coorse, but dogs
ain't like horses; they don't have no need of roads, so that don't
matter. I'll git owld Bogus, the Injin, to help. He an' I can bate the
tracks wid our snowshoes, and the dogs 'ill follow kindly, an' so we'll
all go down to the creek together.'"

"Well," continued Flora, "this plan was carried out at once. We started
next day and got on famously in the sledge. We had only one upset. It
might have been an awkward one, for the horse was very restive when he
got off the track into the deep snow, but fortunately, just at the time,
up came two travellers, one of them _such_ a handsome man! and they got
us out of our difficulty."

"Were you in danger, my pet?" asked McLeod.

"Not exactly in danger, except the danger of having to walk at night
through the forest, and without snow-shoes."

"Hm! not such a small danger that as you seem to think, Flo," said
McLeod gravely. "However, these gentlemen got you out of the scrape--
well, go on."

"Well, on we went, came to Sam Small's hut, slept there, got two
dog-sledges, slept at the hut of Jonas Bellew in Boulder Creek, whose
door we were obliged to break open, for he wasn't at home--and, here we
are."

"Well, my pet, here you are likely to remain for some time to come.
It's not exactly as fine a residence as you've been accustomed to, but
there are many worse."

"Worse," exclaimed Flora, "there couldn't be many better--in the
circumstances. I regard it as a small palace. Dear father," she added,
"don't let our reverses w