“It was another daughter, a dear, delightful little person named Mrs. Burton, who was here when we came,” said Mary.  “I am glad to find there are such nice people here, and I hope we shall be friends.”

Jervis flung up his head with a haughty movement, almost as if he resented the kindly overture, but he replied civilly enough; only the thought in his mind as he went down to the river was that poor Katherine, with her hard, drudging life for the good of others, was so much more noble than this girl, who lived only to please herself, that it would be a condescension on Katherine’s part to be friendly with her.  When he reached the store it was to find no one about but Mrs. Burton and the invalid.

“Ah, I am late to-night!” he said apologetically, and with a feeling of sharp disappointment.  “But Mr. Selincourt has come, and I had to go over to report progress to him.”

“What very nice people they are!” exclaimed Mrs. Burton with enthusiasm.  “I was charmed with Miss Selincourt.  She will be a great acquisition here this summer.”

“Yes,” Jervis remarked in an abstracted fashion, but not paying much heed to what was being said, for he was in perplexity as to why Katherine was not visible; and seeing no prospect of finding out without a direct question, he made the plunge and asked:  “Where is your sister?  Isn’t she well?”

“Katherine has gone to bed, because she is so tired to-night.  She and Phil have done the backache portage, as they call it, and it always wears her so much, poor girl,” Mrs. Burton answered with a sigh.  Then she said, with an involuntary lowering of her voice as she glanced at her father:  “Katherine does not like the idea of our telling Father that Mr. Selincourt has come.  She says it may excite him, and be very harmful.  What do you think about it?”

Jervis glanced at the invalid, who sat in a chair by the open door, gazing out at the evening sky, where the twilight still lingered.  ’Duke Radford was sitting with his head stooped a little forward, and smiling placidly as if his thoughts pleased him.

“I don’t think it would hurt him; he takes so little notice,” the young man answered slowly.  Then he added:  “But Miss Radford would know better about that than I do, and if she is afraid of the effect upon him, it would be well to be careful.”

“I don’t think Katherine knows more about Father than I do, because you see she is not much with him, and I don’t think he understands the difference between one person and another,” said Mrs. Burton.  “He seems to find as much pleasure in talking to Oily Dave as to Astor M’Kree, and that is certainly different from what he used to be.  But it will be very hard if we have to shut nice people like the Selincourts out of the house just because it may upset Father, who probably won’t even realize that they are strangers at all.”

“Well, we can but try him.  Let us see if the name brings any worry to him,” said Jervis, and going across to the door he began to talk to the invalid.  “Mr. Selincourt and his daughter have come to spend the summer here; they live in the hut across the river that Astor M’Kree has done up so nicely.  Would you like them to come and see you?”