The Press., 1894-09-20
CHAPTER !.

CHAPTER !.
 It appeared that Armour had made the great mistake of his life. When people came to know, they said that to have done it when sober had shown him possessed of kind of maliciousness and cynicism almost pardonable, but to do it when tipsy proved him merely weak and foolish. But the fact is he was less tipsy at the time than was imagined, and he could have answered to more malice and cynicism than were credited to him. To those who know the world 1t is not singular that of the two Armour was thought to have made the mistake and had the misfortune or that people vast ed their pity and their scorn upon him alone. Apparently they did not see that the woman was to be pitied. He had married her, and she was only an Indian girl from Fort Charles of the Hudson's Bay company, with a little honest white blood in her veins. Nobody, not even her own people, felt that she had any thing at stake or was in danger of un- happiness or was other than person who had ludicrously come to bear the
 
 one had said in justification that she loved the man, the answer would have been that plenty of Indian women had loved white men, but had not married them, and yet the population of half breeds went on increasing.
 Frank Armour had been 0 popular man in London. His club might be found in the vicinity of Pall Mall, his fathers name was high and honored in the army list, one of his brothers had served with Wolseley i'll Africa, and himself, having no profession, but with taste for business and investment, had gone to Canada with some such inten- tion as Lord Selkirk's in the early part of the century. He owned large shares in the Hudson's Bay company, and when he travelled through the north west country prospecting he was receiv- ed most hospitably.
 Of an inquiring and gregarious turn of mind, he went as much among the half breeds-or metis, as they are called and Indians as among the officers of the Hudson's Bay company and the white settlers. He had ever been credit ed with having a philosophical turn, and this was accompanied by a certain strain of impulsiveness or daring. He had been accustomed all his life to make up his mind quickly, and because he was well enough off to bear the con- sequences of momentary rashness in commercial investments he was not counted among the transgressors. He had his own fortune. He was not draw ing upon 8 common purse. It was a different matter when he trafficked rash ly in the family name, so far as to mar ry the daughter of Eye of the Moon, the Indian chief.
 He was tolerably happy when he went to the Hudson bay country, for Miss Julia Sherwood was his promised wife, and she, if poor, was notably beautiful and of good family. His people had not looked quite kindly on this engagement They had indeed tried in many ways to prevent it, partly because of Miss Sher- woods poverty, and also because they knew that Lady Agnes Martling had long cared for him and was most hap oily endowed with wealth and good looks also. When he left for Canada, they were inwardly glad (they imagin- ed that something might occur to end the engagement)-all except Richard, the wiseacre of the family. the book man, the drone, who preferred living at Greyhope, their Hertfordshire home, the year through to spending half the time in Cavendish square. Richard was very fond of Frank, admiring him immense ly for his buxom strength and clever ness and not little, too, for that very rashness which had brought him such havoc at last.
 Richard was not, as Frank used to say, perfectly sound on his pins''- that is, he was slightly lame-but he was right at heart. He was an immense reader, but made little use of what he remembered every anecdote he ever heard. He was kind to the poor, walked much, talked to himself as he walked and was known by the humble sort as "a centric. " But he had wise head, and he foresaw danger to Frank happi- ness when he went away. While others had gossiped and maneuvered and were busily idle, be had watched things He saw that Frank was dear to Julia in proportion to the distance between her and young Lord Haldwell, whose father had done something remarkable in guns or torpedoes and was rewarded with lordship and an uncommonly large for tune. He also saw that after Frank left the distance between Lord Haldwell and Julia became distinctly less. They were both staying at Greyhope. Julia Sher- wood was remarkably clever girl. Though he felt it his duty to speak to her for his brother-a difficult and deli