"But, Douglas, I won't marry you!"
Douglas lifted his chin. "Perhaps you won't, my dearest! I'm not going to let that thought spoil the big moment of my life."
He put his hands on her shoulders and looked at her, at the long brilliant face beneath the beaver cap, at the fine steel slenderness of her, and then he said in his low-voiced way:
"O Judith! Judith! why didn't you tell me, long ago!"
"Because nothing would satisfy you but marriage," replied Judith, with a half sob.
Douglas smiled wistfully. "But I haven't changed! Why did you tell me now?"
"I didn't want to! I didn't mean to! But I couldn't help it. You saved my life, Doug! It ought to belong to you, but O, I can't give it to you! I must go on. I must find out what is the thing I'm meant to do. I must!"
Douglas turned from her troubled face to gaze at the mad descent that must be made before Johnson's Basin could be won. Then he put up his hand and turned her face to follow his glance.
"Judith, do you think that I can let you go down there? If it was impossible before, think how I feel about it now I know that you love me. Somehow we have got to compromise on this thing, my dearest."
Judith clung to him. "I don't want to leave you, Douglas. But I can't go back to Lost Chief. I can't!"