One went down river early with Mary, the other rowed Mr.Selincourt down an hour or more ago.

I will be back as soon as I can, dear; or it may be that Miles and Phil will get in first: but keep the store locked until someone comes." "Indeed I will; trust me for that!" said Mrs.Burton, dropping her work and following Katherine to the door to see her start.
As Katherine turned back to say something, two steps from the threshold, a coil of strong cord hung on the house wall caught her attention, and after a moment's hesitation she reached up and took it down.

It was the identical coil of rope that she and Phil had had in the boat that day when they came home from Fort Garry and found Mr.Selincourt in the muskeg.

It had slipped aside and been forgotten until a day or two ago, when Katherine had found it, scrubbed it clean of muskeg mire, and hung it up to dry in the sunshine, and again forgotten it.

She had flung on a coat, because her blouse showed signs of the hard, dirty work she had been doing, and had crammed a woollen cap on her head to hide the roughness of her hair.
"Are you going to take the dog?
He will only make you more work," said Mrs.Burton, as Hero leaped into the boat and took his place as a complacent passenger, looking on at the work being done.
"Yes, I must.