“Man,” he said at length, his bearded face wrinkled with a smile, “I wish ye were no a preacher wi’ labors i’ the vineyard of the Lord tae occupy yer time.  I’d have ye do a job for me.”

“A job?” Thompson came out of his preoccupation.

“Aye,” MacLeod grunted.  “A job.  A reg’lar man’s job.  There’d be a reasonable compensation in’t.  It’s a pity,” he continued dryly, “that a parson has a mind sae far above purely mateerial conseederation.”

“It may surprise you,” Mr. Thompson returned almost as dryly, “to know that I have—­to a certain extent—­modified my views upon what you term material considerations.  They are, I have found, more important than I realized.”

The factor took his pipe out of his mouth and regarded Thompson with frank curiosity.

“Well,” he remarked finally.  “Yer a young man.  It’s no surprisin’.”  He paused a second.

“Would it interest ye—­would ye consider givin’ a month or two of yer time to a legitimate enterprise if it was made worth yer while?” he asked bluntly.

“Yes,” Thompson answered with equal directness.  “If I knew what it was—­if it’s something I can do.”

“I’m just marking time at Lone Moose,” he went on after a pause.  There was a note of discouragement in his voice.  “I’m—­well, completely superfluous there.  I’d be tempted—­”

He did not go farther.  Nor did MacLeod inquire into the nature of the suggested temptation.  He merely nodded understandingly at the first part of Thompson’s reply.

“Ye could do it fine, I think,” he said thoughtfully, “wi’ the use of yer head an’ the bit coachin’ and help I’d provide.  It’s like this.  Pachugan’s no so good a deestrict as it used tae be.  The fur trade’s slowin’ down, an’ the Company’s no so keen as it was in the old days when it was lord o’ the North.  I mind when a factor was a power—­but that time’s past.  The Company’s got ither fish tae fry.  Consequently there’s times when we’re i’ the pickle of them that had tae make bricks wi’oot straw.  I mean there’s times when they dinna gie us the support needful to make the best of what trade there is.  Difficulties of transportation for one thing, an’ a dyin’ interest in a decayin’ branch of Company business.  Forbye a’ that they expect results, just the same.

“Now, I’m short of three verra necessary things, flour, tea, and steel traps.  I canna get them frae Edmonton.  They didna fully honor my fall requisitions, an’ it’s too late i’ the season now.  Yet they’ll ask why I dinna get the skins next spring, ye understand.  If the Indians dinna get fully supplied here, they’ll go elsewhere; they can do that since there’s a French firm strung a line o’ posts to compete i’ the region, ye see.