The dinner somehow was going badly, despite the Colonel’s very best dinner stories and his lady’s most brilliant efforts at conversation. The young Englishman attended strictly to his eating, carrying an air of nonchalant if courteous indifference toward the efforts at conversation by the Colonel and his wife. The Reverend Donald Fraser won the gratitude of Mrs. Pelham for the gallant manner in which he came to her rescue. The minister felt the restraint and as a friend of the family was bound to do his utmost to save the situation. After the Colonel had failed in an heroic attempt to engage Laughton in a discussion of English politics, for which he cared not a farthing, English sport, in which he was deeply interested, doings at Oxford, where they had a common meeting ground, the minister took Paul in hand. He drew from him an interesting description of the life, the habits, the occupations of the Indians of the far North country. Finally he took him up on the religion of the Chippewayans. “They have a real religion I suppose?” “Yes, sir,” said Paul. “It is not our religion, but I would say a real religion, with very noble elements in it. They believe in and worship a supreme spirit whose favour they seek and whom they strive to obey.” “But it is wholly pagan?” “Yes, we call them pagan, but I often wondered what God would call some of them. For some of them, those who really practise their religion, are good men. Of course, some of them don’t take much stock in their religion, but——” “But,” interrupted the minister, “there are many of our own people don’t take much stock in religion, I fear.” “Right, sir. And just as with us, those who are most loyal to their religious principles are the best men. And they are good men.” “Good men? What do you mean exactly?” inquired the Colonel, whose experience of the native population of British Columbia had not been of the happiest. “Good in your own understanding of the word, sir,” said Paul firmly. “They are honest, they are loyal to their obligations, they are kind to their own, they are capable of heroic self-sacrifice, they have perfect manners, the manners of a gentleman, in short.” “How do they treat their women? Beasts of burden, I understand. Eh, what?” said Laughton, abruptly breaking into the conversation. “They treat their women pretty much as my ancestors and yours treated their women a few generations ago, as Mr. Fraser, who is an expert on that subject, will tell you, I guess,” said Paul. “Quite right, Paul, and not so many generations ago either. Indeed, I will go so far as to say as very many men in my country and yours treat their women today,” said Mr. Fraser, addressing himself to Laughton. “That, sir, I take leave to deny,” said the Englishman with some little heat.