“No, by Jove, he hasn't been near us for a week, has he?” replied Larry.
“Poor man, I feel so sorry for him,” said Jane.
“Oh, he will be all right. He is busy with his work. He is awfully keen about that mine of his, and once the thing is over--after Kathleen is married, I mean--it will be different.”
Jane rode on in silence for some distance. Then she said,
“I wonder how much you know about it, Larry. I don't think you know the very least bit.”
“Well, perhaps not,” said Larry cheerfully, “but they always get over it.”
And again she rode on listening in silence to Larry's chatter.
“You will have a delightful visit at Banff, Jane. Do you know Wakeham is going to motor up? He is to meet his father there. He asked me to go with him,” and as he spoke Larry glanced at her face.
“That would be splendid for you, Larry,” she said, “but you couldn't leave them at home with all the work going on, could you?”
“No,” said Larry gloomily, “I do not suppose I could. But I think you might have let me say that.”
“But it is true, isn't it, Larry?” said Jane.
“Yes, it's true, and there's no use talking about it, and so I told him. But,” he said, cheering up again, “I have been having a holiday these two weeks since you have been here.”
“I know,” said Jane remorsefully, “we must have cut into your work dreadfully.”
“Yes, I have loafed a bit, but it was worth while. What a jolly time we have had! At least, I hope you have had, Jane.”
“You don't need to ask me, do you, Larry?”
“I don't know. You are so dreadfully secretive as to your feelings, one never knows about you.”
“Now, you are talking nonsense,” replied Jane hotly. “You know quite well that I have enjoyed every minute of my visit here.”
They rode in silence for some time, then Larry said, “Jane, you are the best chum a fellow ever had. You never expect a chap to pay you special attention or make love to you. There is none of that sort of nonsense about you, is there?”
“No, Larry,” said Jane simply, but she kept her face turned away from him.
The results of the University examinations filled three sheets of the Winnipeg morning papers. With eager eyes and anxious hearts hundreds of the youth of Manitoba and the other western provinces scanned these lists. It was a veritable Day of Judgment, a day of glad surprises for the faithful in duty and the humble in heart, a day of Nemesis for the vainly self-confident slackers who had grounded their hopes upon eleventh hour cramming and lucky shots in exam papers. There were triumphs which won universal approval, others which received grudging praise.