"I suppose it's a good arrangement," said Agatha. "But before I agree you must send the draft to Thirlwell." "It might mean some delay. However, I expect he'll come down from the mine to meet the expert, and if you insist--" "I do insist," said Agatha. "I can do nothing until I know what my manager thinks." Scott promised to mail the document, and Agatha remarked: "When the people have taken up the shares there will be some left." "That is so," said George. "It may be convenient later; I dare say we will want more money when we begin the smelting, but we'll probably be able to issue the stock at a dollar then. In fact, I reckon we'll presently have to ask for power to extend our capital." "You must only sell this reserve block to people you can trust," said Agatha, who began to ask questions about the mine. Scott was surprised to find how much she knew, but he told her all he could and it was late in the evening when the party broke up. The engineer whom the subscribers sent North returned with a satisfactory report, and Thirlwell got to work. He had much to do, and although he was undecided about the future, resolved to stay until he had opened up the vein. From the beginning he had to grapple with numerous obstacles, for when he drove his adit the water broke in and the rock was treacherous. Still he had tunneled far enough to escape the frost when winter began, and the snow that stopped all surface work made transport easier. One could travel straight across divides and frozen lakes, and the sledges ran smoothly on the ice. When the trail south was broken he built shacks at the camping places and kept a gang of half-breeds felling trees and improving the road. After some months, he found it necessary to visit the railroad settlement, and reaching it one evening, tired and numbed by cold, followed his sledge to the hotel in a thoughtful mood. For one thing, he must write to Strange, whose last letter had hinted that he was anxious, and it would be hard to send an encouraging report. The ore was good, but the vein was thin and expensive to work. In fact, the working cost was much higher than he had thought. When he entered the hotel he was dazzled by the light, and the sudden change of temperature made him dizzy. He stopped, wondering whether his eyes had deceived him, as a man dressed in clothes that were obviously English came forward. "Hallo, Jim!" said the latter. "Allott!" exclaimed Thirlwell. "What are you doing here?" The other laughed. "I left Helen at New York. She's going to Florida for the winter with her American friends and I thought I'd look you up before I followed. I've news, but it will keep until you have had some food."