Lady Merton and Anderson began to ascend a long flight of steps leading from the garden path below to the balcony where Delaine stood.  Elizabeth waved to him with smiles, and he must perforce watch her as she mounted side by side with the fair-haired Canadian.

“Oh! such delightful plans!” she said, as she sank out of breath into a seat.  “We have ordered the engine for two o’clock.  Please observe, Mr. Arthur.  Never again in this mortal life shall I be able to ‘order’ an engine for two o’clock!—­and one of these C.P.R. engines, too, great splendid fellows!  We go down the pass, and take tea at Field; and come up the pass again this evening, to dine and sleep at Laggan.  As we descend, the engine goes in front to hold us back; and when we ascend, it goes behind to push us up; and I understand that the hill is even steeper”—­she bent forward, laughing, to Delaine, appealing to their common North Country recollections—­“than the Shap incline!”

“Too steep, I gather,” said Delaine, “to be altogether safe.”  His tone was sharp.  He stood with his back to the view, looking from Elizabeth to her companion.

Anderson turned.

“As we manage it, it is perfectly safe!  But it costs us too much to make it safe.  That’s the reason for the new bit of line.”

Elizabeth turned away uncomfortably, conscious again, as she had often been before, of the jarring between the two men.

At two o’clock the car and the engine were ready, and Yerkes received them at the station beaming with smiles.  According to him, the privilege allowed them was all his doing, and he was exceedingly jealous of any claim of Anderson’s in the matter.

“You come to me, my lady, if you want anything.  Last year I ran a Russian princess through—­official.  ’You take care of the Grand Duchess, Yerkes,’ they says to me at Montreal; for they know there isn’t anybody on the line they can trust with a lady as they can me.  Of course, I couldn’t help her faintin’ at the high bridges, going up Rogers Pass; that wasn’t none of my fault!”

“Faint—­at bridges!” said Elizabeth with scorn.  “I never heard of anybody doing such a thing, Yerkes.”

“Ah! you wait till you see ’em, my lady,” said Yerkes, grinning.

The day was radiant, and even Philip, as they started from Banff station, was in a Canadian mood.  So far he had been quite cheerful and good-tempered, though not, to Elizabeth’s anxious eye, much more robust yet than when they had left England.  He smoked far too much, and Elizabeth wished devoutly that Yerkes would not supply him so liberally with whisky and champagne.  But Philip was not easily controlled.  The very decided fancy, however, which he had lately taken for George Anderson had enabled Elizabeth, in one or two instances, to manage him more effectively.  The night they arrived at Calgary, the lad had had a wild desire to go off on a moonlight drive across the prairies to a ranch