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Dinah's figure huddled under the bedclothes, but got
quickly into her pyjamas, put out the light and sought
her own sheets.
For a long time she hardly thought at all, and then
when her brain did begin to function she resolutely
thought only of her own position. To finish the full
month she had to stay till next Thursday morning. She
would work a little and spend time about the farm, go out
for the evenings. She ought to get in touch with the
lawyer.
In the darkness Dinah said, "I promised to stay out
your time with you and I will, but I'm off on Thursday.
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I'll get rid of the bus in Vancouver and take the plane
home."
"Very well," said Lucie.
"And if you want Rex you can have him," added Dinah.
"I don't want Rex."
A pause. Then Dinah said, "I was just mad with both
of you. No hard feelings?"
If it hadn't been heartbreaking it would have been
funny. Lucie thought of Matt's wordless exit, the last
feeble throw from Norman.
"No hard feelings," she said. "Goodnight."
Lucie awoke unrefreshed, knew that in all she could
have had only a couple of hours' sleep. She got up and
went to the window, saw that it was still misty but clear-
ing. It would have been good to have a bath, but she
had no intention of meeting Norman this morning, so she
washed at the corner fitment and got into a short-sleeved
frock. Dinah, of course, was still sleeping soundly, and
because it was Sunday Lucie sat down in the one easy
chair and gave her nails some attention.
To keep her thoughts off Matt, she analyzed" what she
know about Norman. The extra details she had learned
yesterday from Rex helped to illumine his character, and
by morning's light she could even feel a little sorry for
him. After all, it was not as though he had lit any spark
within her. She had liked him but had not entirely trusted
him; and now she saw why.
Norman had had a luckless sort of childhood. Possibly
he had been fundamentally weak, but like many weak
people he had been shrewd as well. Fate had put him in
touch with Niall Denman, and his own good looks, light
manner and interest in farming had endeared him to
the old man. He had not intended to stay in Red Deer
Valley, but gradually it had become apparent that Niall'
Denman had no heir but his nebulous niece in England,
and Norman had seen himself as far more likely to inherit.
The will come as a shock, but he had done his best to
turn events to his own advantage. Lucie was glad, really,
that Uncle Niall had not known Norman Firland as he
was.
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Yet she could not find it in her heart to blame him
'bitterly. Unwittingly, Uncle Niall had made the wrong
sort of will, that was all.
She saw Dinah stir a little, and got up quickly. She put
away the nail file, slipped on a woollen jacket and went
down the steps and round to the kitchen. The pickers
greeted her in both French and English, and talked among
themselves about lacross and ice hockey and the chances
of caribou-hunting if they travelled a bit to the north.
Joe was in the kitchen v/ith Henri, and she saw at once
that he knew. He gave her a lowering glance, jerked a
thumb towards the door.
"You have your breakfast in there. Mr. Firland's out."
"I'll have it right here, thanks, Joe," she said coolly.
"I'm not changing my habits for the last few days."
"You're like him, all right," he answered gloomily.
"The old man, I mean. He always kept himself private
and looked at folks as if they wasn't there."
She laughed. "I'm sure I didn't look at you that way.
You're huffed because we're selling out, but you needn't
get upset." She spread a check cloth on the table. "Did
you ever have an ambition, Joe?"
"No. Only to keep me little house and me job."-
"Never wanted a couple of pigs and a cow?"
"Oh, sure. Who wouldn't?"
"Well, as a parting gift, Joe, I'll buy you those two
pigs and a cow young ones, so that you can watch
them grow. And I'll insist that you keep your job under
the new management."
"But I don't like strangers."
She purposely misunderstood him. "They won't be
strangers long. I've heard that pigs get so affectionate
they'll live in the house, if you let them."
His smile was like wintry sunshine through a blear of
clouds. "No, you got more humor than he had," he
admitted grudgingly. "I suppose it's all for the best. At
any rate, we don't have to go through another month
with some strange girl. You ain't so bad as not knowing."
"Why, thanks," she said sincerely. "From you that's
more than a concession. It's a compliment!"
Lucie felt better after that exchange with Joe. It set
the tone for her own behaviour during her last few days
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at the farm. Nevertheless, it was a relief to learn that
Norman had gone out for the whole day. She relaxed,
ate quite a good breakfast and took a long walk among
the orchards. For the first time since arriving at the
farm she had the feeling of really possessing -it. Pre-
viously, she had had (o remind herself occasionally that
these trees were as much hers as Norman's, the house
and lakeside, too. Now, she could permit herself an
expansiveness that she had not dared before. Temporarily,
that is. , . "
She went down to the lake, sat on the edge of the
landing stage and dangled her legs above the water. Some
way down the lake she could see the Torrances' jetty and
beach, and on the opposite bank a family were loading
their canoe for a fishing trip. Out of sight, perhaps as
much as three miles away, a launch must be setting out;
she heard the preliminary put-put of its engine, the distant
roar as it got away. All along the fifteen miles of the
lake people were enjoying Sunday morning, but there
were long spaces between the summer shacks and on the
whole it was very quiet.
The mist lingered in a haze above the pines, but it
promised to be a fine day. It was too early yet for the
concentrated mists of autumn; yesterday's had been
merely a warning.
No, it was best to forget yesterday. Dinah had been
angered into giving the show away, but it couldn't be
allowed to matter. There was nothing so good as being
oneself, anyway. Now, she felt able'to deal with things
as they cropped up. The hinting and probing were over;
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