As Katherine turned back to say something, two steps from the threshold, a coil of strong cord hung on the house wall caught her attention, and after a moment’s hesitation she reached up and took it down.  It was the identical coil of rope that she and Phil had had in the boat that day when they came home from Fort Garry and found Mr. Selincourt in the muskeg.  It had slipped aside and been forgotten until a day or two ago, when Katherine had found it, scrubbed it clean of muskeg mire, and hung it up to dry in the sunshine, and again forgotten it.  She had flung on a coat, because her blouse showed signs of the hard, dirty work she had been doing, and had crammed a woollen cap on her head to hide the roughness of her hair.

“Are you going to take the dog?  He will only make you more work,” said Mrs. Burton, as Hero leaped into the boat and took his place as a complacent passenger, looking on at the work being done.

“Yes, I must.  The old dog is very wise; he will guide us quickly to where Mary is lying,” Katherine said.  Then she threw off the mooring rope, rowed out to midstream, where she could get the full advantage of the current, and then began to row down river as fast as she could pull.

The sky was still overcast, the wind howled through the trees, and it was so chill that she was glad of her coat, despite the vigorous exercise which she was getting in rowing.  Never had it taken so long to get to Seal Cove, or so it seemed in her impatient haste; and after the first half-mile the current did not help her, for the tide was coming in fast and making itself felt.

Seal Cove appeared to be deserted when she got there.  Neither of the portage men was to be seen, although both the Selincourt boats were drawn up side by side on the beach near the fish shed.  The office was locked and the key gone.  Katherine looked round in despair and shouted at the top of her voice for help.  Surely someone must be within hearing distance, although the place looked entirely devoid of life, except for some fishing boats a mile or two out from shore, and beating into harbour against the strong wind, which was blowing half a gale, perhaps more.

The shouts brought Mrs. Jenkin to the door of her house, with an ailing babe tucked under her arm and two small children clinging to her ragged skirt.

“Dear, dear, Miss Radford, what is the matter?  Why, you look just awful!” exclaimed the good woman, jogging the wailing babe up and down, to still its fretful complaining.

“I can’t find anyone, Mrs. Jenkin, and I want help so badly.  Where are all the men?  Miss Selincourt has hurt her foot out on the rocks beyond the fish-flakes, and I am afraid she may be caught by the tide before she can be rescued,” Katherine said anxiously.

“Dear, dear, what is to be done?  I don’t believe there is a man about the place, unless it is Oily Dave.  Mr. Ferrars went away in his boat at dawn, and I don’t know that he is back yet.  I’d go with you myself, dear, but I can’t leave the babies,” Mrs. Jenkin said, with so much concern and sympathy that Katherine gulped down something closely related to a sob before replying.