“And Miss Pearson?” whispered Toppy frantically. “Did he say anything about her?”
Tilly nodded heavily.
“Tell um me long ’go. Tell um me before Miss Pearson come. Tell um me he going marry Miss Pearson for um Christmas present. Christmas Day come soon now. Snow-Burner no want Tilly here then. Send Tilly ’way.”
The breath seemed to leave Toppy’s body for an instant. He swayed and caught at the window-frame.
“Marry her—Christmas Day?” he whispered, horrified.
“Yes. He no tell um Miss Pearson yet. He tell me no tell um her, no tell um anybody. I tell you. Now go.”
Before Toppy had sufficiently recovered his wits to speak again he heard the crunch of her moccasins on the snow dying away in the darkness as the cast-off squaw stolidly started on her journey into the woods.
“Tilly!” called Toppy desperately, but there was no answer.
“What’s matter?” murmured Campbell, disturbed in his deep slumber, and falling to sleep again before he received a reply.
Toppy stood for a long time with his face held close to the window through which he had heard Tilly’s startling news. The shock had numbed him. Although he had been prepared to expect anything of Reivers, he now realised that this was something more than he had thought possible even from him. The Snow-Burner—marry Miss Pearson—for a Christmas present—Christmas Day! He seemed to hear Tilly repeating the words over and over again. And Reivers had not even so much as told Miss Pearson of what he intended to do. He had not even told her that he intended to marry her. So Tilly said, and Tilly knew. What did Reivers intend to do then? How did he know he was going to marry her? How did he know she would have him?