those two toughs with no weapon but his fists ran away under fire. The
thing didn't seem plausible."

"And so you trust Blake, in spite of his story?"

"The Northwest is a hard country in winter and I may find myself in a
tight place before I've finished my search," Harding answered with
grave quietness. "But if that happens, I'll have a partner I can trust
my life to. What's more, Mrs. Harding feels I'm safe with him."

Mrs. Keith was moved; his respect for his wife's judgment and his faith
in his comrade appealed to her.

"Tell me something about your journey," she said.

While they talked, Millicent and Blake sat in the sunshine on the slope
of the hill. Beneath them a wide landscape stretched away toward the
Ottawa valley, the road to the lonely North, and the girl felt a
longing to see the trackless wilds. The distance drew her.

"Your way lies up yonder," she said. "I suppose you are thinking about
it. Are you looking forward to the trip?"

"Not so much as Harding is," Blake replied. "He's a bit of an
enthusiast; and I've been in the country before. It's a singularly
rough one, and I anticipate our meeting with more hardships than money."

"Which doesn't seem to daunt you."

"No; not to a great extent. Hardship is not a novelty to me, and I