"ELIZABETH ... COULD YET FIND TIME TO WALK AND CLIMB,
PLUNGING SPIRIT AND SENSE IN THE BEAUTY OF THE ROCKIES"
LADY MERTON
COLONIST
BY
MRS. HUMPHRY WARD
FRONTISPIECE
BY ALBERT STERNER
1910
CONTENTS
A FOREWORD
Towards the end of this story the readers of it will find anaccount of an "unknown lake" in the northern Rockies, together witha picture of its broad expanse, its glorious mountains, and of awhite explorers' tent pitched beside it. Strictly speaking, "LakeElizabeth" is a lake of dream. But it has an original on this realearth, which bears another and a real name, and was discovered twoyears ago by my friend Mrs. Schäffer, of Philadelphia, towhose enchanting narratives of travel and exploration in theseuntrodden regions I listened with delight at Field, BritishColumbia, in June, 1908. She has given me leave to use her ownphotograph of the "unknown lake," and some details from her recordof it, for my own purposes; and I can only hope that in the summersto come she may unlock yet other secrets, unravel yet othermysteries, in that noble unvisited country which lies north andnortheast of the Bow Valley and the Kicking Horse Pass.
MARY A. WARD.
LADY MERTON, COLONIST
CHAPTER I
"I call this part of the line beastly depressing."
The speaker tossed his cigarette-end away as he spoke. It fellon the railway line, and the tiny smoke from it curled up for amoment against the heavy background of spruce as the trainreceded.
"All the same, this is going to be one of the most excitingparts of Canada before long," said Lady Merton, looking up from herguide-book. "I can tell you all about it."
"For heaven's sake, don't!" said her companion hastily. "My dearElizabeth, I really must warn you. You're losing your head."
"I lost it long ago. To-day I am a bore--to-morrow I shall be anuisance. Make up your mind to it."
"I thought you were a reasonable person!--you used to be. Nowlook at that view, Elizabeth. We've seen the same thing for twelvehours, and if it wasn't soon going to be dark we should see thesame thing for twelve hours more. What is there to go mad over inthat?" Her brother waved his hand indignantly from right to leftacross the disappearing scene. "As for me, I am only sustained bythe prospect of the good dinner that I