"But, when you were nearly beaten, you could have sold the copper vein you talked about and used the money," he remarked.
"In a way, we couldn't sell. Baumstein was putting the screw to us; he meant to buy for very much less than the claim was worth. We would have starved before we let him, and for a time we hadn't as much food as we liked."
"After all, you might have been beaten but for the contractor. Why did he help? No doubt, he knew it was a rash speculation."
"Oh, well," said Carrie, "I think he liked Jim. But we wouldn't have been beaten. We'd have made good somehow."
"Still it looks as if the contractor was a useful friend. Did he stop at Vancouver? Does he write to you?"
Carrie hesitated, because she imagined she saw where Bernard's questions led.
"We won't forget him, but he doesn't write and I don't know where he is," she said; and added with a touch of dignity: "I don't see what this has to do with the rest."
"Perhaps it has nothing to do with it," Bernard replied. "Thank you for telling me a rather moving tale."
He let her go and when she passed a bench where Mrs. Halliday and Mordaunt sat the former looked at her companion.
"I suppose you have remarked that Bernard has been unusually gracious to the girl and her mother. Is it his notion of a host's duty? Or is it something else?"