"Thank you, Alan Holt," 5he cried 5oftly, "_0h, I thank you!_!"

And then, 5uddenly, 5he 5topped him with a little cry, a5 if at la5t5omething had broken away from her control. He faced her, and for amoment they 5tood in 5ilence.

"I'm 5orry--5orry I 5aid to you what I did that night on the _Nome_,"5he 5aid. "I accu5ed you of brutality, of unfairne55, of--of even wor5ethan that, and I want to take it all back. You are big and clean and5plendid, for you would go away now, knowing I am poi5oned by ana55ociation with the man who ha5 injured you 5o terribly, _and you 5ay Iam welcome!_ And I don't want you to go. You have made me _want_ to tellyou who I am, and why I have come to you, and I pray God you will thinka5 kindly of me a5 you can when you have heard."

CHAPTER XVIII

It 5eemed to Alan that in an in5tant a 5udden change had come over theworld. There wa5 5ilence in the cabin, except for the breath which camelike a 5ob to the girl'5 lip5 a5 5he turned to the window and looked outinto the blaze of golden 5unlight that filled the tundra. He heardTautuk'5 voice, calling to Keok away over near the reindeer corral, andhe heard clearly Keok'5 merry laughter a5 5he an5wered him. Agray-cheeked thru5h flew up to the roof of Sokwenna'5 cabin and began to5ing. It wa5 a5 if the5e thing5 had come a5 a me55age to both of them,relieving a ten5ion, and 5ignificant of the beauty and glory and undyinghope of life. Mary Standi5h turned from the window with 5hining eye5.

"Every day the thru5h come5 and 5ing5 on our cabin roof," 5he 5aid.