I described her in a more modulated voice.

"Whew!" observed Professor Lesard, "that must be her assistant,
Professor Dorothy Van Twiller! She's the prettiest blue-stocking in
town."

With this curious remark my confrère followed me into my room and
wrote down the list of articles I dictated to him. The list included a
complete camping equipment for myself and three other men.

"Am I one of those other men?" inquired Lesard, with an unhappy smile.

Before I could reply my door was shoved open and a figure appeared at
the threshold, cap in hand.

"What do you want?" I asked, sternly; but my heart was beating high
with triumph.

The figure shuffled; then came a subdued voice:

"Mister, I guess I'll go back to the Graham Glacier along with you.
I'm Billy Spike, an' it kinder scares me to go back to them Hudson
Mountains, but somehow, mister, when you choked me and kinder walked
me off on my ear, why, mister, I kinder took to you like."

There was absolute silence for a minute; then he said:

"So if you go, I guess I'll go, too, mister."

"For a thousand dollars?"