“What a lovely view!” exclaimed the girl, seating herself upon the edge of the bank. “Now,” she said, “tell me about yourself. You gave my pater a fearful fright this morning. He was quite paralysed when I came on him.”
“I am very sorry,” said the youth, “but I had no intention--”
“I know. I told him not to worry,” replied the girl. “I knew you would be all right.”
“And how, pray?” said the young man, blushing at the memory of his startling appearance upon that rock.
“I knew that any fellow who could take that dive wouldn't likely let himself drown. I guessed, too, that if you heard me hoot--”
“I guess you were pretty well startled yourself, weren't you?” said the girl, pursuing the subject with cool persistence.
“Rather,” said the young man, blushing more violently, and wishing she would change the subject. “You are going out?” he enquired.
“Too bad,” he said, his disappointment evident in his tone.
“When are you going out? But who are you, anyway?” asked the girl. “You have to tell me that.”
“It's very short and simple, like the annals of the poor,” he replied. “From England in infancy, on a ranch in northern Alberta for ten years, a puny little wretch I was, terribly bothered with asthma, then”--the boy hesitated a moment--“my mother died, father moved to Edmonton, lived there for five years, thence to Wapiti, away northwest of Edmonton, our present home, prepared for college by my father, university course in Winnipeg, graduated in theology a year ago, now the missionary in charge of Wapiti and the surrounding district.”
“A preacher!” said the girl, her face and her tone showing her disappointment only too plainly.
“Not much of a preacher, I fear,” said the young man with a smile. “A missionary, rather. That's my story.”
She noticed with some chagrin that he did not ask for hers.
“Dad and I always take a trip into the wilds every summer.” Then he added after a few moments' pause, “But of course we have other business on hand up here.”
“Yes. Dad has some.” He made as if to continue, but changed his mind and fell into silence, leaving her piqued by his reserve and by his apparent indifference to the things concerning herself. She did not know that he was eagerly hoping that she would supply this information.
