Haldwell and Julia became distinctly less--they were both staying at
Greyhope. Julia Sherwood was a remarkably clever girl. Though he felt
it his duty to speak to her for his brother,--a difficult and delicate
matter, he thought it would come better from his mother.

But when he took action it was too late. Miss Sherwood naively declared
that she had not known her own heart, and that she did not care for Frank
any more. She wept a little, and was soothed by motherly Mrs. Armour,
who was inwardly glad, though she knew the matter would cause Frank pain;
and even General Armour could not help showing slight satisfaction,
though he was innocent of any deliberate action to separate the two.
Straightway Miss Sherwood despatched a letter to the wilds of Canada, and
for a week was an unengaged young person. But she was no doubt consoled
by the fact that for some time past she had had complete control of Lord
Haldwell's emotions. At the end of the week her perceptions were
justified by Lord Haldwell's proposal, which, with admirable tact and
obvious demureness, was accepted.

Now, Frank Armour was wandering much in the wilds, so that his letters
and papers went careering about after him, and some that came first were
last to reach him. That was how he received a newspaper announcing the
marriage of Lord Haldwell and Julia Sherwood at the same time that her
letter, written in estimable English and with admirable feeling, came,
begging for a release from their engagement, and, towards its close,
assuming, with a charming regret, that all was over, and that the last
word had been said between them.

Armour was sitting in the trader's room at Fort Charles when the carrier
came with the mails. He had had some successful days hunting buffalo
with Eye-of-the-Moon and a little band of metis, had had a long pow-wow