"Jean Marcel! Thank God!" and Julie Breton impulsively kissed the lean cheek of the voyageur. A whine of protest followed by a smothered rumble at such familiarity with her master drew her glance to the great puppy. "Fleur! You brought Fleur with you, Jean, as you said you would. Oh, we have had much worry about you, Jean Marcel—and how thin you are!"
She led man and dog into the building.
"Henri! Come quick and see whom we have with us!"
"Jean, my son!" cried the priest, embracing the returned voyageur, "and you brought back your dog! It will be a brave tale we shall hear to-night!"
The appearance of Marcel and Fleur at the trade-house was greeted with:
"Nom de Dieu! Jean Marcel! And de dog! He return wid hees dog, by Gar!" as Jules Duroc sprang to meet him with a bear hug.
"Welcome back, my lad!" cried Colin Gillies, tearing a hand of Jean from the emotional Company man. While Angus McCain, joining in the chorus of congratulations, was clapping the helpless Marcel on the shoulder, the perplexed puppy, worried by the uproar of strangers about her master, leaped, tearing the back out of McCain's coat, and was relegated by Jean to the stockade outside.
"Well, well, how far did they take you, Jean? Did you have a fuss getting your dog?" asked the factor.
"I was one day behind dem at Rupert Bay——"
"What, you've been to Rupert?" interrupted the amazed Gillies.