hospitable woman who lives in the house on the bluff, with a
boatlike projection at one end?"

"That is Mrs. Jenkin, my landlady, and the boat-like projection is
my abode. It is very comfortable, too," he answered.

"Then who is the very pretty girl who moves with as much grace as
if she had been brought up in drawing-rooms all her life, yet has
to carry heavy burdens over a portage like a man?" asked Mary
eagerly, her other questions having been intended only to lead up
to this.

Jervis Ferrars stood up with a quick movement, and a feeling that
the questioning had become suddenly intolerable; but his voice was
quiet and steady as he answered: "That would be Miss Radford, whose
father has the store over the river. But he has been ill for a
long time, poor man, and with little hope of recovery, so his
daughter has a very hard life. I am going over to see him now, if
you will excuse me. There is no doctor here, of course, so I have
done what I could for him."

"It was another daughter, a dear, delightful little person named
Mrs. Burton, who was here when we came," said Mary. "I am glad to
find there are such nice people here, and I hope we shall be
friends."

Jervis flung up his head with a haughty movement, almost as if he
resented the kindly overture, but he replied civilly enough; only
the thought in his mind as he went down to the river was that poor
Katherine, with her hard, drudging life for the good of others, was
so much more noble than this girl, who lived only to please
herself, that it would be a condescension on Katherine's part to be
friendly with her. When he reached the store it was to find no one
about but Mrs. Burton and the invalid.

"Ah, I am late to-night!" he said apologetically, and with a
feeling of sharp disappointment. "But Mr. Selincourt has come, and
I had to go over to report progress to him."

"What very nice people they are!" exclaimed Mrs. Burton with
enthusiasm. "I was charmed with Miss Selincourt. She will be a
great acquisition here this summer."

"Yes," Jervis remarked in an abstracted fashion, but not paying
much heed to what was being said, for he was in perplexity as to
why Katherine was not visible; and seeing no prospect of finding
out without a direct question, he made the plunge and asked: "Where
is your sister? Isn't she well?"

"Katherine has gone to bed, because she is so tired to-night. She
and Phil have done the backache portage, as they call it, and it