“Your father shall not take you back,” John declared.  “And you must not do what you suggest.  That would be terrible!  There is another way out of the difficulty, and you know what that is.”

“Yes, I know, John.  The captain spoke of it yesterday.”

“He did!  Good for him.  He is a man of sense, all right.  And won’t you, Jess?  We can get married, and then no one can take you from me.”

Jess remained silent for a few minutes, with her face turned to the river, shimmering in the glow of eventide.

“We must wait, John,” she at length replied.  “We are both young yet, so there need be no hurry.  Should we get married now, I know that my father would make every effort to separate us, even though I have the right to do as I please.  He is a very determined man, and when he once makes up his mind it is almost impossible to stop him.  When he finds out what I have done his anger will be great.  But what would it be like should I marry you?  No, we must wait.  I shall go away and hide myself.”

“You cannot do that, Jess.  I am afraid you know very little about the world.  Why, what could you do to make a living?  You have been well educated, but what could you do to earn enough to live upon?  You have always had plenty of money for all your needs; you have led a sheltered life, so you cannot understand the struggle it would mean to go out into the world to battle your own way.  Now, is there one thing you could really do to earn a living?”

“I don’t know, John,” was the low reply.  There were tears in the girl’s eyes, for she realised that the words of advice were only too true, “I am afraid you are right.  I did not look at it that way.”

“I know you didn’t, so that is why I have spoken so plainly.  It would be cruel not to open your eyes and show you the difficulties ahead.”

“What am I to do, then?” the girl asked, in a despairing voice.  “We must not marry each other now.  But what can I do?  Where can I go?”

For a few minutes silence reigned, as the two stood there.  John was thinking rapidly, and at last he turned to the girl with the light of a new idea shining in his eyes.

“I know what we can do,” he told her.  “We can hide you where your father cannot find you for some time.  There is a place out in the hills where you can stay, and no one will have any idea where you are.  Mother can go with you, and it will do her so much good, for she needs to get away for a change.  We have a nice cabin there, which father built.  It is on a little island, in a beautiful lake, and I know you will enjoy the life.  You see, we have a coal mine on the shore of the lake, and that is why father built the cabin.  He used to live there for weeks at a time.  But since his death it has been occupied but little; although I sometimes spend several days there when out hunting.”

The expression in the girl’s eyes showed her interest in John’s words, and when he stopped she lifted her face to his.