useful to you. Anyway, you made a big mistake when you took up the
Peveril. Dropped a good many dollars that time, didn't you?"

Deringham's face grew a trifle grim. "As you probably know just what
the mistake cost us there is no use in me denying it," said he.

"Well," said Hallam sympathetically, "one can't always come out on top,
and if you're stopping down at Vancouver I may be of some use to you,
and you to me. If you'll come up to-morrow I'll show you the Tyee, and
I've something better still up the valley."

"I'm sorry," said Deringham indifferently; "I'm going through to
Somasco!"

Hallam glanced at him steadily. "Of course you are," said he. "Well,
I've told you nothing Alton doesn't know, and I've letters to answer.
You'll excuse me?"

Deringham rose with him, and strolling along the verandah together they
stopped a moment at the door, close by where Alice Deringham sat at an
open window. It was growing dark now, but the last of the afterglow
was flung down into their faces by the snow, and it seemed to the girl
that the resemblance between them had grown stronger. Her father's
appeared a trifle less refined in its chiselling than it had been, and
there was a look which did not please her in his eyes. It suggested
cupidity and cunning in place of intellectuality.

"Well," said Hallam, "you'll call on me at Vancouver anyway, and it's
possible we may be some use to each other."