“How he hates himself!” exclaimed Jean, and from his position in the shadows, Hedin saw that her eyes flashed.

His heart gave a great bound, and it was with an effort that he restrained himself from pushing into the group.  Was it possible—?  A step sounded outside, and the next moment the screen door swung open to admit the figure of a man who strode into the lamp-light and glanced about the faces of the assembly.

The man was Cameron.

“A fine two days’ stay you made of your trip to the mill site,” he grumbled, addressing Wentworth.  “I waited here for a week for you or Orcutt to show up, and then I decided to hunt you.  I followed you to Winnipeg, and from there to Ottawa, and back again to the head of the tote-road.  Orcutt had left for the States the day before I got there, but they said you were down at the mill site.  I rode down on a truck only to find that you had come over here for your outfit.”

“Well, now you’ve found me, what’s on your mind?” grinned Wentworth.

“I have a memorandum here in my pocket signed by Orcutt in which he authorized you to transact any and all business regarding the pulp-wood lands.”

“That’s correct,” admitted Wentworth.  “I am a stockholder, an officer in the company, and its sole representative in the field.  Fire away.  What’s this business that’s so all-fired important as to send you chasing all over Canada to reach me?”

“My business,” replied Cameron gravely, “is to return to you as representative of the Eureka Paper Company, three hundred and fifty thousand dollars, which amount was paid over to me by Mr. Orcutt, and which represents the initial payment of ten percent of the purchase price of certain pulp-wood lands described in the accompanying contract of sale.”

“Return the money!” cried Wentworth.  “What do you mean?”

“Simply, that the deal is off.  Or, rather, no valid transaction was ever consummated.”

Every particle of color faded from the engineer’s face at the words.  As he glanced wildly about him his eye caught a twinkle in the eyes of McNabb.  The color flooded his face in a surge of red, and his eyes seemed to bulge with rage as he groped for words.  “It’s a damned lie!” he cried.  “A trick of McNabb’s!” He turned upon the older man:  “I thought you took your defeat too easy, but you’ll find you can’t put anything over on me!  The deal stands—­and we’ll fight you to the last court!  If you’ve found some petty technicality in the contract, you better forget it.  We’ve gone ahead in good faith and spent a million.  We can employ as good lawyers as you can, and the courts won’t stand for any quibbling!  It’s a case for the equity courts.”