“Trust me for that!” replied Miles.  “I shall pull a face as long as a fiddle, and yawn my head half off while I’m clearing up.  Oh, it will be rich to out-wit that precious pair!  I had been wondering why Stee Jenkin should go off so quiet and early with Oily Dave, but I should never have guessed at the reason.  I shall be through with the shutting-up in about twenty minutes, and I’ve had my supper, so there won’t be anything to wait for.”

Katherine felt better when she had eaten her supper; the thought of what was before her was less of an ordeal, and she was more than ever determined that Oily Dave and the other man must be outwitted, cost what it might.  There was to be no night school that night, so, directly the door of the store was shut and barred, Miles and Katherine were able to set out.  The twins were in bed, and fast asleep.  Mrs. Burton was still busy in her father’s room, so there was only Phil to look after things.

“Tell Nellie when she comes out of Father’s room that Miles and I have got some work to do outside which may take us an hour or more,” Katherine said to her youngest brother.  “Meanwhile you must just make yourself as useful as possible—­clear away supper, wash the cups and plates, take care of the fire, and look after things generally.  You will have a school holiday to-morrow, so no lessons need be learned to-night.  We shall have to do the store work while Father is ill, so you and Miles will have to be satisfied with night school with the men instead of having lessons in the day.”

“Hooray!” chirruped Phil, who had no love of learning, but always yearned for action.  Then he asked anxiously:  “Couldn’t you stay in and look after things to-night, while I go and help Miles with the outside work?”

Katherine laughed and shook her head.  “No, no, the outside work would be too heavy for you to-night; you might even get your nose frozen.  But you must stay up until we come back, because Nellie may need you to help her.”

“I’ll stay,” replied the boy, but he manifested so much curiosity about the nature of the outside work that had to be done that Katherine had finally to command him to stay inside the house.

Neither she nor Miles wished anyone to know what they were going to do:  there were so many reasons for keeping their errand secret.  Mrs. Burton would have wept and wailed at the mere thought of such a journey at night, while Phil simply could not keep a secret.

The dogs were tired and sleepy, very unwilling to be turned out and harnessed again, but directly they were fairly out of their shed the cold seemed to rouse them, and they set off at a great pace.  Katherine and Miles were riding in the empty sledge now, with their snowshoes tucked in beside them.  The snow-storm had spent itself; the moon shone out of a cloudless sky, while myriads of stars lent their aid to the illumination of the night.  Even the cold was less noticeable than in the afternoon, when the damp wind blew off the water and the snow was falling so fast.