Mrs. Halliday's look hinted that she was trying to hide her annoyance and Evelyn turned her head.
"Very well," said Bernard and beckoned the others.
When they had gone Jake laughed. "I imagine you have given your relations a jolt."
"I felt something like that. I didn't mean to jolt them," Jim said with a frown. "Why didn't they come a few minutes earlier, or later?"
"I wasn't altogether thinking of your throwing the smith down the bank. You have got rather English, but sometimes you break away; I think I mean break back."
"Perhaps that is so; I forget," Jim agreed. "I was a miner and linesman before I was a landlord."
"Confusing for your friends, isn't it? They don't know which they have to reckon on—the Canadian sourdough or the country gentleman. Anyhow, I expect your suggestion that they should take mother and Carrie didn't help much. Were you talking like a sourdough or an English landlord then?"
"You have a confoundedly mischievous humor," Jim rejoined, with a twinkle. "Do you want me to state that it's a country gentleman's duty to insist on the proper acknowledgment of his guests? Bernard likes your people and I don't know if Mrs. Halliday and Lance Mordaunt count."
"I was not thinking about Mrs. Halliday——" Jake began, but stopped when his comrade looked hard at him, and a few moments afterwards the smith came up the bank.
"Well?" said Jim, sharply. "What do you want?"