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206 mestic proprieties, and you would do well to realise it and pull out of this business at once."

"You were perfectly correct when you said just now that you had no right to interfere. We will leave it at that, please. Good-night."

Dick went to bed. But before he slept he came to a determination.

"When I get back from Edmonton I'll put an end to this," he said.

It had seldom been Dick's habit to halt on the road once he had made his mind up to travel it. But an episode two nights later hastened matters for him irremediably. He came out of the big bar-room at Grange's, shutting the inner door on the smell of smoke and drink and the talk of a handful of settlers "going in" to the Grande Prairie district; stumbled down the back passage and thrust open the door of the room which had been Ducane's private sanctum, and way out into the little alley behind the English church. He had been on canoe-patrol all day and his moccasins shod him with silence, so that the two on the far side of the room where the pale light from the window fell did not hear him or heed. But to the man in the dark of the door that poor, grey light gave a picture so cruelly clear that it took his breath.

In Ducane's big padded chair sat Grange's Andree; and Tempest was on his knees at her side, gripping both hands and speaking low and thickly. Tempest's head and shoulders were blocked out in a vague smudge; but the light was sharp across the girl's face, showing the wild, half-terrified irritation of a young horse resisting the bit and yet lacking the courage to break free. Tempest did not see. His head was bowed and he was praying to Andree as a man might pray for his life. Dick closed the door softly and got himself out into the dark narrow alley where the wooden church wall rose against the golden afterglow. Crickets were chirping and crows were calling harshly. From the hotel stables came the champ of feeding horses and the occasional bang as they kicked the wall in endeavour to dislodge the flies. Someone came unseen down the noisy sidewalk, whistling shrilly. Dick heard all the sounds. But they seemed far off. Nothing was near but