“Here, say, Miss McDonald,” he went on, in his keen fashion.  “You come from Skandinavia.  And I guess you come on a pretty stiff proposition.  It’s going to be difficult for you to hand it me.  Maybe you’re young in the game.  Well, it doesn’t matter a thing.  Now we’re going to start right in talking that proposition, and I’m going to help you.  But before that starts I just want to say this.  You, I guess, are going right back on the Myra and she sails to-morrow, sundown.  That means you’ll stay a night in Sachigo—­”

“I’m stopping on the vessel.  It’s all fixed.”

Bull sat down at his desk.

“I’m kind of glad,” he said, with a shade of relief.  “It isn’t that you aren’t welcome to all the old hospitality Sachigo can hand you.  You’re just more than welcome.  But Bat hasn’t built his swell hotel yet,” he laughed.  “And as for us here, why, we ‘batch’ it.  There isn’t a thing in skirts around this place, only a Chink cook, a half-breed secretary, and a clerk or two, and a bum sort of decrepit lumber-jack who does my chores.  So you see I’m—­kind of relieved.  Anyway you sleeping on the Myra makes it easy.  Now there’s a mighty big conceit to me, and it’s all for this mill in our country’s wilderness.  And I just can’t let you quit to-morrow night without showing you all it means.  You’ve simply got to see the thing that’s going to make the whole world’s groundwood trade holler before we’re through.  You’re my prisoner until you’ve seen the things I’m going to show you.  Is it anyway agreeable?”

Nancy smiled delightedly.

“You couldn’t drive me out of Sachigo till I’ve peeked into all your secrets down there,” she said.

Bull leant forward with his arms outspread across the desk.

“Great!” he cried.  “And,” he added, “you shall see them all.  The things I can’t show you Bat will.  And if I’m a judge that old rascal’ll be tickled to death handing his dope out to you.  But—­let’s get to business.”

Nancy sat up.  In a moment all ease was banished.  She knew the great moment had come when she must prove herself to those who had entrusted her with her mission.

“Yes,” she said, almost hurriedly.  “I don’t know the word Mr. Peterman sent you.  And anyway it doesn’t matter.  I must put things my way.  You are a great enterprise here.  We are a great enterprise.  It looks to us a pretty tough clash is bound to come between us in the near future, and—­there should be no necessity for it.  There’s room—­plenty of room—­for both of us in our trade—­”

She paused.  The keen eyes of Bull were closely observing.  He realised her attitude.  Her words and tone were almost mechanical, as though she had schooled herself and rehearsed her lesson.  And her voice was not quite steady.  He jumped in with the swift impulse of a man whose rivalry could not withstand that sign of a beautiful girl’s distress.