Because I have got some money should be
no barrier to my getting more, if I get it honestly," her father
answered with soothing toleration; for Mary had ideas, and was apt
to air them in rather unmeasured language when she was roused.

"It seems so ignoble to spend all one's time and energy in making
money when there are so many wrongs which need righting, and so
many people who need helping," she said, with a note of pathos in
her tone.

"The most effectual way of helping people is to assist them in
helping themselves," broke in Jervis. "If Mr. Selincourt develops
this fishing as it is capable of being developed, he will do more
real good than if he spent hundreds of pounds in charity."

"If you were really a Canadian you would have said dollars, not
pounds," she interrupted, with mock gravity, just as if she were
making fun of him to his face.

"I am an Englishman," he said quietly, too much in earnest just
then to resent her levity, "so it is most natural to me to speak of
pounds. But that makes no difference to the question at issue.
When your father gets his factory going he will employ twenty men
where he now employs one. They in turn will be able to support
wives and families, which will mean employment for storekeepers,
school teachers----"

"Oh, spare me any more, I beg!" she implored penitently, "and I
promise never, never to object to money-making schemes again. I
know you were going to add that the twenty men's wives would want
twenty new hats, and so there would be an opening for a first-class
millinery establishment at Roaring Water Portage."

"I had not thought of that, but of course it is quite true," he
said, adding with a laugh: "and there would be an opening for a
dressmaker also, don't you see?"

"I don't want to see. I don't want to hear anything more about it
at all. It is all too much in the future, too practical and
commonplace altogether to fit such a twilight as this," she said,
with a touch of petulance. "I want to know about the people here.
What sort of a man is Oily Dave? He looks a veritable old rascal."

"And for once appearances are not deceptive," replied Jervis.
"Since I have been here he has tried to quietly do for me about
once a week upon an average. He so nearly succeeded the first time
that it has encouraged him to persevere,"

"How truly horrid!" she cried with a shiver. "But there are nicer
people to compensate for him, I hope. Who is that delightfully