Featherstone began to talk about something else, but Foster felt embarrassed.  It looked as if he owed his success in business to the girl’s generosity, and although he could not see why this should disturb him, it did.

He went down to dinner rather early and found Alice in the hall.  There was nobody else about, and by the way she looked up as he advanced he thought she had been waiting for him.  Alice had beauty, but it was her proud reserve he felt most.  She did not give her friendship lightly, but he believed it was worth winning.

“I wanted to thank you for explaining things so well,” she said.  “It’s the first time we have really learned much about my brother’s life in Canada.”

Foster hesitated, “I felt that you wanted to know.  But, in a way, it must have sounded rather egotistical.  In fact, the thing wasn’t as easy as you perhaps think.”

Alice smiled.  “You couldn’t leave yourself out, although it was obvious that you meant to give my brother the leading part.”

“I honestly don’t think I exaggerated.”

“No,” she agreed, “it sounded real, and there were touches, little personal characteristics, you couldn’t have imagined.  You see, I am younger than Lawrence and thought him something of a romantic hero before he left home.”  Then she paused for a moment.  “I got a very bad shock when he was forced to go.  You know why he went?”

“I don’t; I’ve sometimes thought he wanted to tell me.”

“Then you never asked?”

“I did not; I think I didn’t want to know.”

She gave him a steady searching glance and he felt that if he had been insincere she would have found out.

“But you knew there was something wrong.  If he had injured somebody in England, he might have injured you.  What made you so trustful?”

“Your brother himself.  Then he was, so to speak, my benefactor.  If he hadn’t taken me up, I might have been chopping trees in the snow, instead of enjoying a holiday in England and, to emphasize the contrast, staying at a house like this.”

“It doesn’t follow; you might have found another opportunity.  The point is that you did trust Lawrence.”

Foster disliked sentiment and knew that if he struck a false note it would jar.

“Well,” he said, “I don’t claim that I’m a judge of character, but one can’t make progress in Canada and be a fool.  We had gone hungry in the bush together, and hauled the hand-sledge across the snow, when it was very doubtful if we’d make the settlements.  Perhaps there isn’t a better way of testing a partner than that.  Then a man starts fair in the new countries, and one feels that this is right.  He may have given way once to some strong temptation and go the straighter for it afterwards.”

Alice looked at him with a curious gleam in her eyes that made his heart beat.

“It was a very strong temptation,” she said quietly and stopped as Mrs. Featherstone came in.