"You're generally right," the girl admitted. "You were about Marston.
I was rather impressed by him when he first came out."

Her father smiled.

"Just so. Marston had only one trouble--he was all on top. You saw
all his good points in the first few minutes. It was rough on him that
they weren't the ones that are needed in this country."

"It's a country that demands a great deal," the girl said thoughtfully.

"Sure," was the dry reply. "The prairie breaks the weak and shiftless
pretty quick; we only have room for hard men who'll stand up against
whatever comes along."

"And do you think that description fits the Englishman we met?"

"Well," said her father, "I guess he wouldn't back down if things went
against him."

He went out for a smoke, and the girl considered what he had said. It
was not a matter of much consequence, but she knew he seldom made
mistakes, and in this instance she agreed with him. As it happened,
George's English relatives included one or two clever people, but none
of them held his talents in much esteem. They thought him honest,
rather painstaking, and good-natured, but that was all. It was left
for two strangers to form a juster opinion; which was, perhaps, a not
altogether unusual thing. Besides, the standards are different in
western Canada. There, a man is judged by what he can do.