He might never
acquire order, and the power that order and habit and the daily iteration
of necessary thoughts and acts bring; but the prospect did not appal her.
She had taken the risk with her eyes wide open; had set her own life and
happiness in the hazard. But Jim must be saved, must be what his talents,
his genius, entitled him to be. And the long game must have the long
thought.
So, as they drew into the great Saskatchewan Valley, her hand in his, and
hope in his eyes, and such a look of confidence and pride in her as
brought back his old strong beauty of face, and smoothed the careworn
lines of self-indulgence, she gave him his course: as a private he must
join the North-West Mounted Police, the red-coated riders of the plains,
and work his way up through every stage of responsibility, beginning at
the foot of the ladder of humbleness and self-control. She believed that
he would agree with her proposal; but her hands clasped his a little more
firmly and solicitously--there was a faint, womanly fear at her heart--as
she asked him if he would do it. The life meant more than occasional
separation; it meant that there would be periods when she would not be
with him; and there was great danger in that; but she knew that the risks
must be taken, and he must not be wholly reliant on her presence for his
moral strength.
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