events, once the thing was decided, nobody concerned doubted for a moment the fitness of it.  Betty’s own arrangements may have had something to do with it.  For the Master and the Mistress had set their hearts upon Betty having a season in London and a month or two on the Continent, in part with her Nuthill friends, and, for a portion of the time, with another relative.  This made the prospect of parting for a time with Jan a good deal easier.

Then, again, Dick Vaughan had certainly “said a word” to Betty now.  He had, indeed, said a good deal to her.  And there was one little affirmative word she had given him which he held more preciously significant than all the rest of the world’s oratory put together.  It was Dick Vaughan’s own suggestion that he should serve a further probationary term.  It was his own idea that he should earn the Master’s blessing by winning sergeant’s rank in the R.N.W.M.P.; and that not till then should he allow his father to set him up in England.  His decision in this delighted Dr. Vaughan and confirmed the Master in his faith.  It meant a further term of absence, but Betty Murdoch was sensible enough to be proud of the pride behind Dick’s plan; and thus all were agreed.

Jan’s opinion in the matter could hardly be ascertained; but no one who had ever seen Dick and Betty on the Downs with Jan and Finn, and noted the wonderful responsiveness of the young hound to Dick’s control, would have entertained any doubt about this.  Dick’s mastery of animals had always been remarkable; his hold upon their affections had been one of the most striking characteristics of his life.  And in this, as in other matters, his experiences in the West had taught him a good deal.

At home in Sussex, and even as a youngster, it had been recognized that Dick Vaughan could get rather more out of an average horse than any one else in the district.  On the prairies he had so far developed this gift of his that his charger would lie down on the ground at a word from him, and remain lying, as though dead, without ever injuring or displacing his saddle, until given the word to rise; and this even though his neck were used as a gun-rest, and Dick’s rifle fired from it.

Dick’s horses in Canada—­and he trained many—­required no tethering.  They would remain, all day if need be, upon the exact spot at which he bade them stand.  They would push and nuzzle a man along a road, and never upset him.  They would gallop, unridden, in any given direction, at the word of command, and halt as if shot at the sound of Dick’s voice.  He actually taught a mare to leave her foal and come to him at the word of command.  Not the wildest and most vicious of broncos could resist him when he set his mind to their subjugation, yet he wore drilled sixpences in place of rowels in his spurs, and rarely carried a whip; though on certain occasions he might borrow one for a specific use.