Kermode considered this; but he had about ten dollars in his pocket and he was not of provident nature. He decided that something must be left to chance, though the thought that he might have handled heavy rails for the contractor’s exclusive benefit was strongly distasteful. Walking across the town, he paid a visit to Miss Foster.
“Can you ride?” he asked her.
“I haven’t ridden for years.”
“Perhaps you could manage a steady horse which wouldn’t go faster than a walk?” he suggested.
“Yes.” Then she hesitated. “But horses are expensive, and I have very little money left. Somehow, it seems to disappear rapidly in Canada.”
“That’s an annoying trick it has,” Kermode laughed. “However, you had better start for Drummond this morning, and I’ll go with you.”
The girl looked dubious. She knew nothing about him, but his manner and appearance were in his favor, and her position was far from pleasant. Mrs. Jasper, who had already presented what appeared to be an extortionate bill, seemed by no means anxious to keep her, and it might be a long time before she could communicate with her brother. How she was to hold out until he came to her assistance she could not tell.
“Thank you,” she said, gathering her courage; and after promising that he would be back in an hour, Kermode went away.
He was a man who acted on impulse and, as a rule, the more unusual a course was the better it pleased him. In spite of her lameness Miss Foster was attractive, which, perhaps, had its effect, though he was mainly actuated by compassion and the monotony of his track-laying task. He did not think the settlement, in which there were very few women, was the kind of place in which she could comfortably remain, particularly if her means were exhausted. Presently he met the livery-stable keeper driving in his buggy and motioned to him to pull up.
“How much will you charge for the hire of the roan, to go to Drummond?” he asked, and the man named his charge.