But Jessie was a child of the imperative urge.  She told herself fifty times that it was none of her business if he did accept the offer of a place in the North-West Mounted.  He could do as he pleased.  Why should she interfere?  And yet—­and yet—­

She found a shadow of excuse for herself in the fact that it had been through her that he had offered himself as a special constable.  He might think she wanted him to enlist permanently.  So many girls were foolish about the red coats of soldiers.  She had noticed that among her school-girl friends at Winnipeg.  If she had any influence with him at all, she did not want it thrown on that side of the scale.

But of course he probably did not care what she thought.  Very likely it was her vanity that whispered to her he had gone North with Win Beresford partly to please her.  Still, since she was his friend, ought she not to just drop an offhand hint that he was a more useful citizen where he was than in the Mounted?  He couldn’t very well resent that, could he?  Or think her officious?  Or forward?

She contrived little plans to meet him when he would be alone and she could talk with him, but she rejected these because she was afraid he would see through them.  It had become of first importance to her that Tom Morse should not think she had any but a superficial interest in him.

When at last she did meet him, it was by pure chance.  Dusk was falling.  She was passing the yard where his storehouse was.  He wheeled out and came on her plumply face to face.  Both were taken by surprise completely.  Out of it neither could emerge instantly with casual words of greeting.

Jessie felt her pulses throb.  A queer consternation paralyzed the faculties that ought to have come alertly to her rescue.  She stood, awkwardly silent, in a shy panic to her pulsing finger-tips.  Later she would flog herself scornfully for her folly, but this did not help in the least now.

“I—­I was just going to Mr. Whaley’s with a little dress Mother made for the baby,” she said at last.

“It’s a nice baby,” was the best he could do.

“Yes.  It’s funny.  You know Mr. Whaley didn’t care anything about it before—­while it was very little.  But now he thinks it’s wonderful.  I’m so glad he does.”

She was beginning to get hold of herself, to emerge from the emotional crisis into which this meeting had plunged her.  It had come to her consciousness that he was as perturbed as she, and a discovery of this nature always brings a woman composure.

“He treats his wife a lot better too.”

“There was room for it,” he said dryly.

“She’s a nice little thing.”

“Yes.”

Conversation, which had been momentarily brisk, threatened to die out for lack of fuel.  Anything was better than significant silences in which she could almost hear the hammering of her heart.

“Win Beresford told me about the offer you had to go into the Mounted,” she said, plunging.