She rushed from the room.  After a moment, Ed followed after her.

There was an awkward pause.  Nora stood leaning against the table swinging the dishcloth in her hand, a smile of malicious triumph on her face.  Gertie had tried it on once too often.  But she had shown her that one could go too far.  She would think twice before she attempted to bully her again, especially before other people.  She stooped down and began to gather up the broken pieces of earthenware scattered about her feet.  Her movement broke the spell which had held the three men paralyzed as men always are in the presence of quarreling women.

“I reckon I might be cleaning myself,” said Taylor, rising from his chair.  “Time’s getting on.  You’re coming, Ben?”

“Yes, I’m coming.  I suppose you’ll take the mare?”

“Yep, that’s what Ed said this morning.”

They went out toward the stables without a word to Nora.

“Well, are you enjoying the land of promise as much as you said that I should?” Hornby asked with a smile.

“We’ve both made our beds, I suppose we must lie in them,” said Nora, shaking the broken pieces out of her apron into a basket that stood in the corner.

“Do you remember that afternoon at Miss Wickham’s when I came for the letter to your brother?”

“I hadn’t much intention of coming to Canada then myself.”

“Well, I don’t mind telling you that I mean to get back to England the very first opportunity that comes,” he said, pacing up and down the floor.  “I’m willing to give away my share of the White Man’s Burden with a package of chewing gum.”

“You prefer the Effete East?” smiled Nora, putting a couple of irons on the stove.

“Ra-ther.  Give me the degrading influence of a decadent civilization every time.”

“Your father will be pleased to see you, won’t he?”

“I don’t think!  Of course I was a damned fool ever to leave Winnipeg.”

“I understand you didn’t until you had to.”

“Say,” said Hornby, pausing in his walk, “I want to tell you:  your brother behaved like a perfect brick.  I sent him your letter and told him I was up against it—­d’you know I hadn’t a bob?  I was jolly glad to earn half a dollar digging a pit in a man’s garden.  Bit thick, you know!”

“I can see you,” laughed Nora.

“Your brother sent me the fare to come on here and told me I could do the chores.  I didn’t know what they were.  I soon found it was doing all the jobs it wasn’t anybody else’s job to do.  And they call it God’s own country!”

“I think you’re falling into the ways of the country very well, however!” retorted Nora as she struggled across to the table with the heavy ironing-board.

“Do you?  What makes you think that?”

“You can stand there and smoke your pipe and watch me carry the ironing-board about.”

“I beg your pardon.  Did you want me to help you?”