“No,” said Maud Barrington.  “Anything else you wish, but not that.  You must believe, without wondering why, that it is out of the question!”

Winston yielded with a curious little smile.  “Well,” he said, “we will let it drop.  I ask no questions.  You have accepted so much already without understanding it.”

CHAPTER XVIII

WITH THE STREAM

It was Winston’s last afternoon at the Grange, and almost unpleasantly hot, while the man whose vigor had not as yet returned to him was content to lounge in the big window-seat listlessly watching his companion.  He had borne the strain of effort long, and the time of his convalescence amid the tranquillity of Silverdale Grange had with the gracious kindliness of Miss Barrington and her niece been a revelation to him.  There were moments when it brought him bitterness and self-reproach, but these were usually brief, and he made the most of what he knew might never be his again, telling himself that it would at least be something to look back upon.

Maud Barrington sat close by, glancing through the letters a mounted man had brought in, and the fact that his presence put no restraint on her curiously pleased the man.  At last, however, she opened a paper and passed it across to him.

“You have been very patient, but no doubt you will find something that will atone for my silence there,” she said.

Winston turned over the journal, and then smiled at her.  “Is there anything of moment in your letters?”

“No,” said the girl, with a little laugh.  “I scarcely think there is—­a garden party, a big reception, the visit of a high official, and a description of the latest hat.  Still, you know, that is supposed to be enough for us.”

“Then I wonder whether you will find this more interesting:  ’The bears made a determined rally yesterday, and wheat moved back again.  There was later in the day a rush to sell, and prices now stand at almost two cents below their lowest level.’”

“Yes,” said Maud Barrington, noticing the sudden intentness of his pallid face.  “I do.  It is serious news for you?”

“And for you!  You see where I have led you.  Ill or well, I must start for Winnipeg to-morrow.”

Maud Barrington smiled curiously.  “You and I and a handful of others stand alone, but I told you I would not blame you whether we won or lost.  Do you know that I am grateful for the glimpses of the realities of life that you have given me?”

Winston felt his pulses throb faster, for the girl’s unabated confidence stirred him, but he looked at her gravely.  “I wonder if you realize what you have given me in return?  Life as I had seen it was very grim and bare—­and now I know what, with a little help, it is possible to make of it.”

“With a little help?” said Maud Barrington.