McCutcheon, George Barr - Brewster's Millions

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BREWSTER'S MILLIONS

BY GEORGE BARR McCUTCHEON

Author of "Graustark," "Beverly of Graustark," "Cast leCraneycrow," etc.

CONTENTS

I. A Birthday Dinner

II . Shades of AladdinIII . Mrs. and Miss GrayIV. A Second WillV. The Message from Jones

VI. Monty CristoVII. A Lesson in Tact

VIII. The Forelock of TimeIX. Love and a Prize-fightX. The Napoleon of Finance

XI. Coals of Fire

XII. Christmas Despair XIII. A Friend in NeedXIV. Mrs. DeMille EntertainsXV. The Cut Direct

XVI. In the Sunny SouthXVII. The New Tenderfoot

XVIII. The Prodigal at SeaXIX. One Hero and Another XX. Le Roi S 'Amuse

XXI. Fairyland

XXII. Prince and PeasantsXXIII. An Offer of MarriageXXIV. The Sheik's StrategyXXV. The Rescue of Peggy

XXVI. The MutinyXXVII. A Fair Traitor

XXVIII. A Catastrophe



XXIX. The Prodigal 's ReturnXXX. The Promise of Thrif t

XXXI. How the Mil l ion DisappearedXXXII. The Night Before

XXXIII. The Flight of JonesXXXIV. The Last Word

BREWSTER'S MILLIONS

CHAPTER I

A BIRTHDAY DINNER

"The Lit t le Sons of the Rich" were gathered about the long tablein Pet t ingi l l 's studio. There were nine of them present , besidesBrewster. They were al l young, more or less enterprising, hopeful ,and reasonably sure of bet ter things to come. Most of them borenames that meant something in the story of New York. Indeed, oneof them had remarked, "A man is known by the street that 's namedafter him," and as he was a new member, they cal led him "Subway."

The most popular man in the company was young "Monty" Brewster. Hewas tal l and straight and smooth-shaven. People cal led him "clean-looking." Older women were interested in him because his father and mother had made a romantic runaway match, which was the talk of the town in the seventies, and had never been forgiven. Worldlywomen were interested in him because he was the only grandson of Edwin Peter Brewster, who was many t imes a mil l ionaire, and Monty

was fair ly certain to be his heir--barring an absent-minded giftto chari ty. Younger women were interested for a much more obviousand simple reason: they l iked him. Men also took to Monty becausehe was a good sportsman, a man among men, because he had a decentrespect for himself and no great aversion to work.

His father and mother had both died while he was st i l l a chi ld,



and, as i f to make up for his long relent lessness, the grandfather had taken the boy to his own house and had cared for him with whathe cal led affect ion. After col lege and some months on thecontinent , however, Monty had preferred to be independent . Old Mr.Brewster had found him a place in the bank, but beyond this andoccasional dinners, Monty asked for and received no favors. I t was

a quest ion of work, and hard work, and small pay. He l ived on hissalary because he had to, but he did not resent his grandfather 'sat t i tude. He was bet ter sat isfied to spend his "weakly salary," ashe cal led i t , in his own way than to earn more by dining sevennights a week with an old man who had forgotten he was ever young.It was less wearing, he said.

Among the "Lit t le Sons of the Rich," bir thdays were alwaysoccasions for feast ing. The table was covered with dishes sent upfrom the French restaurant in the basement. The chairs were pushed

back, cigaret tes were l ighted, men had their knees crossed. ThenPett ingi l l got up.

"Gentlemen," he began, "we are here to celebrate the twenty-fif th bir thday of Mr. Montgomery Brewster. I ask you all to join me indrinking to his long l i fe and happiness."

"No heel taps!" some one shouted. "Brewster! Brewster!" al l cal ledat once.

"For he 's a jol ly good fel low,For he 's a jol ly good fel low!"

The sudden ringing of an electric bel l cut off this f low of sent iment , and so unusual was the interruption that the tenmembers straightened up as i f jerked into posi t ion by a str ing.

"The police!" some one suggested. All faces were turned toward thedoor. A waiter stood there, uncertain whether to turn the knob or push the bolt .

"Damned nuisance!" said Richard Van Winkle. "I want to hear Brewster 's speech."

"Speech! Speech!" echoed everywhere. Men set t led into their places.

"Mr. Montgomery Brewster," Pet t ingi l l introduced.



Again the bel l rang--long and loud.

"Reinforcements. I ' l l bet there 's a patrol in the street ,"remarked Oliver Harrison.

"If i t 's only the police, le t them in," said Pet t ingi l l. "Ithought i t was a credi tor."

The waiter opened the door.

"Some one to see Mr. Brewster, si r ," he announced.

"Is she pret ty, waiter?" cal led McCloud.

"He says he is Ell is, from your grandfather 's , si r!"

"My compliments to Ell is, and ask him to inform my grandfather that i t 's after banking hours. I ' l l see him in the morning," saidMr. Brewster, who had reddened under the jests of his companions.

"Grandpa doesn' t want his Monty to stay out after dark," chuckledSubway Smith.

"It was most thoughtful of the old gentleman to have the man cal lfor you with the perambulator," shouted Pet t ingil l above thelaughter. "Tell him you've already had your bott le ," addedMcCloud.

"Waiter , te l l El l is I 'm too busy to be seen," commanded Brewster,and as Ell is went down in the elevator a roar fol lowed him.

"Now, for Brewster 's speech!--Brewster!"

Monty rose.

"Gentlemen, you seem to have forgotten for the moment that I am

twenty-five years old this day, and that your remarks have beenchildish and wholly unbecoming the dignity of my age. That I havearrived at a period of discret ion is evident from my choice of fr iends; that I am enti t led to your respect is evident from mygrandfather 's notorious wealth. You have done me the honor todrink my heal th and to reassure me as to the inoffensiveness of approaching senil i ty. Now I ask you al l to r ise and drink to 'The



Lit t le Sons of the Rich. ' May the Lord love us!"

An hour later "Rip" Van Winkle and Subway Smith were singing "TellMe, Pret ty Maiden," to the uncertain accompaniment of Pet t ingi l l 'sviol in, when the electr ic bel l again disturbed the company.

"For Heaven's sake!" shouted Harrison, who had been singing "WithAll Thy Faults I Love Thee Sti l l ," to Pet t ingi l l 's lay f igure.

"Come home with me, grandson, come home with me now," suggestedSubway Smith.

"Tell El l is to go to Halifax," commanded Montgomery, and againEll is took the elevator downward. His usual ly impassive face nowwore a look of anxiety, and twice he started to return to the topfloor, shaking his head dubiously. At last he cl imbed into a

hansom and reluctant ly left the revelers behind. He knew i t was a bir thday celebration, and i t was only half-past twelve in themorning.

At three o 'clock the elevator made another t r ip to the top floor and Ell is rushed over to the unfriendly doorbel l . This t ime therewas stubborn determination in his face. The singing ceased and aroar of laughter fol lowed the hush of a moment or two.

"Come in!" cal led a hearty voice, and Ell is strode firmly into thestudio.

"You are just in t ime for a 'night-cap, ' El l is," cried Harrison,rushing to the footman's side. El l is, stol idly facing the youngman, l i f ted his hand.

"No, thank you, sir ," he said, respectful ly. "Mr. Montgomery, i f you'l l excuse me for breaking in, I 'd l ike to give you threemessages I 've brought here to-night ."

"You're a fai thful old chap," said Subway Smith, thickly. "Hanged

if I 'd do A.D.T. work t i l l three A.M. for anybody."

"I came at ten, Mr. Montgomery, with a message from Mr. Brewster,wishing you many happy returns of the day, and with a check fromhim for one thousand dollars. Here 's the check, sir . I ' l l give mymessages in the order I received them, sir , i f you please. Attwelve-thir ty o 'clock, I came with a message from Dr. Gower, sir ,



who had been cal led in--"

"Called in?" gasped Montgomery, turning white .

"Yes, sir , Mr. Brewster had a sudden heart at tack at half-pasteleven, sir . The doctor sent word by me, sir , that he was at the

point of death. My last message--"

"Good Lord!"

"This t ime I bring a message from Rawles, the butler , asking youto come to Mr. Brewster 's house at once--if you can, sir--I mean,if you wil l , si r ," Ell is interjected apologetical ly. Then, withhis gaze directed steadily over the heads of the subdued "Sons,"he added, impressively:

"Mr. Brewster is dead, sir ."

CHAPTER II

SHADES OF ALADDIN

Montgomery Brewster no longer had "prospects." People could notnow point him out with the remark that some day he would come intoa mil l ion or two. He had "real ized," as Oliver Harrison would have put i t . Two days after his grandfather 's funeral a final will andtestament was read, and, as was expected, the old banker atonedfor the hardships Robert Brewster and his wife had endured by bequeathing one mil lion dollars to their son Montgomery. It washis without a restr ict ion, without an admonit ion, without anincumbrance. There was not a suggest ion as to how i t should behandled by the heir . The business t raining the old man had given

him was synonymous with condit ions not expressed in the wil l . Thedead man bel ieved that he had dri l led into the youth anunmistakable conception of what was expected of him in l i fe; i f hefai led in these expectat ions the misfortune would be his alone to bear; a road had been carved out for him and behind him stretcheda long l ine of guide-posts whose laconic instruct ions might beignored but never forgotten. Edwin Peter Brewster evidently made



his wil l with the sensible convict ion that i t was necessary for him to die before anybody else could possess his money, and that ,once dead, i t would be fol ly for him to worry over the way inwhich beneficiaries might choose to manage their own affairs.

The house in Fifth Avenue went to a sister , together with a

mil l ion or two, and the residue of the estate found kindlydisposed relat ives who were wil l ing to keep i t from going to theHome for Friendless Fortunes. Old Mr. Brewster left his affairs inorder. The wil l nominated Jerome Buskirk as executor, and he wasinstructed, in conclusion, to turn over to Montgomery Brewster,the day after the wil l was probated, securi t ies to the amount of one mil l ion dollars, provided for in clause four of theinstrument. And so i t was that on the 26th of September young Mr.Brewster had an uncondit ional fortune thrust upon him, weightedonly with the suggest ion of crepe that clung to i t .

Since his grandfather 's death he had been staying at the gloomyold Brewster house in Fifth Avenue, paying but two or threehurried visi ts to the rooms at Mrs. Gray's, where he had made hishome. The gloom of death st i l l darkened the Fifth Avenue place,and there was a st i l lness, a gentle steal thiness about the housethat made him long for more cheerful companionship. He wondereddimly if a fortune always carried the suggest ion of tube-roses.The richness and strangeness of i t a l l hung about himunpleasantly. He had had no extravagant affect ion for the grim olddictator who was dead, yet his grandfather was a man and hadcommanded his respect . I t seemed brutal to leave him out of thereckoning--to dance on the grave of the mentor who had treated himwell . The at t i tude of the fr iends who clapped him on the back, of the newspapers which congratulated him, of the crowd that expectedhim to rejoice, repel led him. I t seemed a t ragic comedy, haunted by a severe dead face. He was haunted, too, by memories, and by asharp regret for his own foolish thoughtlessness. Even the fortunei tself weighed upon him at moments with a half-defined melancholy.

Yet the si tuat ion was not without i ts compensat ions. For several

days when Ell is cal led him at seven, he would answer him and thank fortune that he was not required at the bank that morning. Theluxury of another hour of sleep seemed the greatest perquisi te of wealth. His morning mail amused him at f i rst , for since thenewspapers had published his prosperi ty to the world he wasdeluged with let ters. Requests for public or private chari ty wereabundant , but most of his correspondents were generous and thought



only of his own good. For three days he was in a hopeless state of bewilderment . He was visi ted by reporters, photographers, andingenious strangers who benevolently offered to invest his moneyin enterprises with cert i f ied futures. When he was not engaged indecl ining a gold mine in Colorado, worth f ive mil l ion dollars,marked down to four hundred and fif ty, he was avoiding a guileless

inventor who offered to sacrif ice the secrets of a marvelousdevice for three hundred dollars, or denying the report that hehad been tendered the presidency of the First National Bank.

Oliver Harrison st i rred him out early one morning and, while thesleepy mil l ionaire was rubbing his eyes and st i l l dodging the bombshell that a dream anarchist had hurled from the pinnacle of a bedpost , urged him in exci ted, confidential tones to take t ime bythe forelock and prepare for possible breach of promise sui ts.Brewster sat on the edge of the bed and l istened to diabolical

stories of how conscienceless females had fleeced innocent andeven godly men of wealth. From the bathroom, between splashes, heretained Harrison by the year, month, day and hour, to stand between him and blackmail .

The directors of the bank met and adopted resolut ions lamentingthe death of their la te president , passed the leadership on to thefirst vice-president and speedily adjourned. The quest ion of admit t ing Monty to the directory was brought up and discussed, buti t was left for Time to set t le .

One of the directors was Col . Prentiss Drew, "the rai l roadmagnate" of the newspapers. He had shown a fondness for young Mr.Brewster, and Monty had been a frequent visi tor at his house.Colonel Drew cal led him "my dear boy," and Monty cal led him "a bully old chap," though not in his presence. But the existence of Miss Barbara Drew may have had something to do with the feel ing between the two men.

As he left the directors ' room, on the afternoon of the meeting,Colonel Drew came up to Monty, who had notif ied the officers of

the bank that he was leaving.

"Ah, my dear boy," said the Colonel , shaking the young man's handwarmly, "now you have a chance to show what you can do. You have afortune and, with judgment, you ought to be able to t r iple i t . If I can help you in any way, come and see me."



Monty thanked him.

"You'l l be bored to death by the raft of people who have ways tospend your money," continued the Colonel . "Don't l isten to any of them. Take your t ime. You'l l have a new chance to make money everyday of your l i fe , so go slowly. I 'd have been rich years and years

ago if I 'd had sense enough to run away from promoters. They'l lal l t ry to get a whack at your money. Keep your eye open, Monty.The rich young man is always a tempting morsel . "After a moment 'sreflect ion, he added, "Won't you come out and dine with us to-morrow night?"

CHAPTER III

MRS. AND MISS GRAY

Mrs. Gray l ived in Fort ieth Street . For years Montgomery Brewster had regarded her quiet , old-fashioned home as his own. The househad once been her grandfather 's , and i t was one of the pioneers inthat part of the town. I t was there she was born; in i ts quaintold parlor she was married; and al l her gir lhood, her brief weddedlife , and her widowhood were connected with i t . Mrs. Gray andMontgomery's mother had been schoolmates and playmates, and their fr iendship endured. When old Edwin Peter Brewster looked about for a place to house his orphaned grandson, Mrs. Gray begged him tolet her care for the l i t t le fel low. He was three years older thanher Margaret , and the chi ldren grew up as brother and sister . Mr.Brewster was generous in providing for the boy. While he was awayat col lege, spending money in a manner that caused the oldgentleman to marvel at his own l iberal i ty, Mrs. Gray was well paidfor the unused but well-kept apartments, and there never was amurmur of complaint from Edwin Peter Brewster. He was hard, but he

was not niggardly.

I t had been something of a struggle for Mrs. Gray to make bothends meet . The property in Fort ieth Street was her only possession. But l i t t le money had come to her at her husband'sdeath, and an unfortunate speculat ion of his had swept away al lthat had fal len to her from her father, the late Judge



Merriweather. For years she kept the old home unencumbered,teaching French and English unti l Margaret was well in her teens.The girl was sent to one of the good old boarding-schools on theHudson and came out well prepared to help her mother in the bat t leto keep the wolf down and appearances up. Margaret was r ich infriendships; and pride alone stood between her and the advantages

they offered. Good-looking, bright , and cheerful , she knew nonatural privat ions. With a heart as l ight and joyous as a Maymorning, she faced adversi ty as though i t was a pleasure, and noone would have suspected that even for a moment her couragewavered.

Now that Brewster had come into his splendid fortune he couldconceive no greater del ight than to share i t with them. To walk into the l i t t le drawing-room and serenely lay large sums beforethem as their own seemed s uch a natural proceeding that he refused

to see an obstacle. But he knew i t was there; the proffer of sucha gift to Mrs. Gray would mean a wound to the pride inheri ted fromhaughty generat ions of men sufficient unto themselves. There was asmall but t roublesome mortgage on the house, a matter of two or three thousand dollars, and Brewster t r ied to evolve a plan bywhich he could assume the burden without giving deep and last ingoffense. A hundred wild designs had come to him, but they werequickly relegated to the growing heap of subterfuges and pretextscondemned by his tenderness for the pride of these two women whomeant so much to him.

Leaving the bank, he hastened, by electric car, to Fort ieth Streetand Broadway, and then walked eagerly off into the street of thenumeral . He had not yet come to the point where he fel t l ikescorning the cars, even though a rol l of banknotes was tuckedsnugly away in a pocket that seemed to swell with suddenaffluence. Old Hendrick, fai thful servi tor through twogenerat ions, was sweeping the autumn leaves from the sidewalk whenMontgomery came up to the house.

"Hello, Hendrick," was the young man's cheery greet ing. "Nice lot

of leaves you have there."

"So?" ebbed from Hendrick, who did not even so much as look upfrom his work. Hendrick was a human clam.

"Mrs. Gray in?"



A grunt that signified yes.

"You're as loquacious as ever, Hendrick."

A mere nod.

Brewster let himself in with his own latch key, threw his hat on achair and unceremoniously bolted into the l ibrary. Margaret wasseated near a window, a book in her lap. The first evidence of unbiased fr iendship he had seen in days shone in her smile. Shetook his hand and said simply, "We are glad to welcome the prodigal to his home again."

"I remind myself more of the fat ted calf ."

His f i rst self-consciousness had gone.

"I thought of that , but I didn' t dare say i t ," she laughed. "Onemust be respectful to r ich relat ives."

"Hang your r ich relat ives, Peggy; i f I thought that this moneywould make any difference I would give i t up this minute."

"Nonsense, Monty," she said. "How could i t make a difference? Butyou must admit i t is rather start l ing. The fr iend of our youthleaves his humble dwell ing Saturday night with his salary drawnfor two weeks ahead. He returns the fol lowing Thursday a dazzl ingmil l ionaire."

"I 'm glad I 've begun to dazzle, anyway. I thought i t might be hardto look the part ."

"Well , I can' t see that you are much changed." There was asuggest ion of a quaver in her voice, and the shadows did not prevent him from seeing the quick mist that f li t ted across her deep eyes.

"After al l , i t 's easy work being a mil l ionaire," he explained,"when you've always had mil l ion-dollar incl inat ions."

"And fif ty-cent possibi l i t ies," she added.

"Really, though, I ' l l never get as much joy out of my abundantriches as I did out of f inancial embarrassments."



"But think how fine i t is , Monty, not ever to wonder where your winter 's overcoat is to come from and how long the coal wil l last ,and al l that ."

"Oh, I never wondered about my overcoats; the tai lor did the

wondering. But I wish I could go on l iving here just as before.I 'd a heap rather l ive here than at that gloomy place on theavenue." "That sounded l ike the things you used to say when we played in the garret . You'd a heap sooner do this than that--don'tyou remember?"

"That 's just why I 'd rather l ive here, Peggy. Last night I fel l tothinking of that old garret , and hanged if something didn' t comeup and st ick in my throat so t ight that I wanted to cry. How longhas i t been since we played up there? Yes, and how long has i t

been since I read 'Oliver Optic ' to you, lying there in the garretwindow while you sat with your back against the wall , your blueeyes as big as dollars?"

"Oh, dear me, Monty, i t was ages ago--twelve or thir teen years atleast ," she cried, a soft l ight in her eyes.

"I 'm going up there this afternoon to see what the place is l ike,"he said eagerly. "And, Peggy, you must come too. Maybe I can findone of those Optic books, and we'l l be young again."

"Just for old t ime's sake," she said impulsively. "You'l l stay for luncheon, too."

"I ' l l have to be at the--no, I won't , e i ther. Do you know, I wasthinking I had to be at the bank at twelve-thir ty to let Mr.Perkins go out for something to eat? The mil l ionaire habit isn ' tso f i rmly fixed as I supposed." After a moment 's pause, in whichhis growing seriousness changed the atmosphere, he went on,hal t ingly, uncertain of his posi t ion: "The nicest thing abouthaving al l this money is that-- that--we won't have to deny

ourselves anything after this." I t did not sound very tactful , nowthat i t was out , and he was compelled to scrut inize rather intent ly a famil iar portrai t in order to maintain an air of careless assurance. She did not respond to this venture, but hefel t that she was looking direct ly into his sorely-tr ied brain."We'l l do any amount of decorat ing about the house and--and youknow that furnace has been giving us a lot of t rouble for two or



three years--" he was pouring out ruthlessly, when her hand fel lgently on his own and she stood straight and tal l before him, anodd look in her eyes.

"Don't--please don't go on, Monty," she said very gently butwithout wavering. "I know what you mean. You are good and very

thoughtful , Monty, but you real ly must not ."

"Why, what 's mine is yours--" he began.

"I know you are generous, Monty, and I know you have a heart . Youwant us to--to take some of your money,"--i t was not easy to sayi t , and as for Monty, he could only look at the f loor. "We cannot ,Monty, dear,--you must never speak of i t again. Mamma and I had afeel ing that you would do i t . But don't you see,--even from you i tis an offer of help, and i t hurts."

"Don't ta lk l ike that , Peggy," he implored.

"It would break her heart i f you offered to give her money in thatway. She 'd hate i t , Monty. I t is foolish, perhaps, but you know wecan't take your money."

"I thought you--that you--oh, this knocks al l the joy out of i t ,"he burst out desperately.

"Dear Monty!"

"Let 's ta lk i t over, Peggy; you don't understand--" he began,dashing at what he thought would be a break in her resolve.

"Don't!" she commanded, and in her blue eyes was the hot f lash hehad fel t once or twice before.

He rose and walked across the f loor, back and forth again, andthen stood before her, a smile on his l ips--a rather pi t i fulsmile, but st i l l a smile. There were tears in her eyes as she

looked at him.

"It 's a confounded puri tanical prejudice, Peggy," he said infut i le protest , "and you know i t ."

"You have not seen the let ters that came for you this morning.They're on the table over there," she repl ied, ignoring him.



He found the let ters and resumed his seat in the window, glancinghalf-heartedly over the contents of the envelopes. The last wasfrom Grant & Ripley, at torneys, and even from his abstract ion i t brought a surprised "By Jove!" He read it a loud to Margaret .

September 30.

MONTGOMERY BREWSTER, ESQ.,

New York.

Dear Sir:--We are in receipt of a communicat ion from Mr.Swearengen Jones of Montana, conveying the sad intel l igence thatyour uncle, James T. Sedgwick, died on the 24th inst . a t M--Hospital in Port land, after a brief i l lness. Mr. Jones by this

t ime has qual if ied in Montana as the executor of your uncle 's wil land has retained us as his eastern representat ives. He incloses acopy of the wil l , in which you are named as sole heir , withcondit ions at tending. Wil l you cal l a t our office this afternoon,if i t is convenient? I t is important that you know the contents of the instrument at once.

Respectful ly yours,

GRANT & RIPLEY.

For a moment there was only amazement in the air . Then a faint , bewildered smile appeared in Monty's face, and reflected itself inthe girl 's .

"Who is your Uncle James?" she asked.

"I 've never heard of him."

"You must go to Grant & Ripley's at once, of course."

"Have you forgotten, Peggy," he repl ied, with a hint of vexationin his voice, "that we are to read 'Oliver Optic ' this afternoon?"



CHAPTER IV

A SECOND

"You are both fortunate and unfortunate, Mr. Brewster," said Mr.

Grant , after the young man had dropped into a chair in the officeof Grant & Ripley the next day. Montgomery wore a sl ight ly boredexpression, and i t was evident that he took l i t t le interest in thewil l of James T. Sedgwick. From far back in the recesses of memoryhe now recal led this long-lost brother of his mother. As a verysmall chi ld he had seen his Uncle James upon the few occasionswhich brought him to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Brewster. Butthe young man had dined at the Drews the night before and Barbarahad had more charm for him than usual . I t was of her that he wasthinking when he walked into the office of Swearengen Jones's

lawyers.

"The truth is, Mr. Grant , I 'd completely forgotten the existenceof an uncle," he responded.

"It is not surprising," said Mr. Grant , genial ly. "Every one whoknew him in New York nineteen or twenty years ago bel ieved him to be dead. He left the ci ty when you were a very small lad, going toAustral ia , I think. He was off to seek his fortune, and he neededit pret ty badly when he s tarted out . This let ter from Mr. Jonescomes l ike a message from the dead. Were i t not that we have knownMr. Jones for a long t ime, handling affairs of considerableimportance for him, I should feel incl ined to doubt the wholestory. I t seems that your uncle turned up in Montana about f i f teenyears ago and there formed a stanch fr iendship with old SwearengenJones, one of the r ichest men in the far West . Sedgwick's wil l wassigned on the day of his death, September 24th, and i t was quitenatural that Mr. Jones should be named as his executor. That ishow we became interested in the matter , Mr. Brewster."

"I see," said Montgomery, somewhat puzzled. "But why do you say

that I am both fortunate and unfortunate?"

"The si tuat ion is so remarkable that you'l l consider that a mildway of putt ing i t when you've heard everything. I think you weretold, in our note of yesterday, that you are the sole heir . Well ,i t may surprise you to learn that James Sedgwick died possessed of an estate valued at almost seven mil l ion dollars."



Montgomery Brewster sat l ike one petrif ied, staring blankly at theold lawyer, who could say start l ing things in a level voice.

"He owned gold mines and ranches in the Northwest and there is noquest ion as to their value. Mr. Jones, in his let ter to us,

briefly outlines the history of James Sedgwick from the time helanded in Montana. He reached there in 1885 from Austral ia , and hewas worth thir ty or forty thousand dollars at the t ime. Withinfive years he was the owner of a huge ranch, and scarcely hadanother f ive years passed before he was part owner of three r ichgold mines. Possessions accumulated rapidly; everything he touchedturned to gold. He was shrewd, careful , and thrif ty, and his moneywas handled with all the skill of a Wall Street financier. At thet ime of his death, in Port land, he did not owe a dollar in theworld. His property is absolutely unencumbered--safe and sound as

a government bond. I t 's rather overwhelming, isn ' t i t?" the lawyer concluded, taking note of Brewster 's expression.

"And he--he left everything to me?"

"With a proviso."

"Ah!"

"I have a copy of the wil l . Mr. Ripley and I are the only personsin New York who at present know i ts contents. You, I am sure,after hearing i t , wil l not divulge them without the most carefuldel iberat ion."

Mr. Grant drew the document from a pigeon-hole in his desk,adjusted his glasses and prepared to read. Then, as though struck by a sudden thought , he laid the paper down and turned once moreto Brewster.

"It seems that Sedgwick never married. Your mother was his sister and his only known relat ive of close connection. He was a man of

most peculiar temperament, but in ful l possession of al l mentalfacult ies. You may find this wil l to be a strange document, but Ithink Mr. Jones, the executor, explains any mystery that may besuggested by i ts terms. While Sedgwick's whereabouts were unknownto his old fr iends in New York, i t seems that he was ful ly postedon al l that was going on here. He knew that you were the onlychild of your mother and therefore his only nephew. He sets forth



the dates of your mother 's marriage, of your bir th, of the deathof Robert Brewster and of Mrs. Brewster. He also was aware of thefact that old Edwin Peter Brewster intended to bequeath a largefortune to you--and thereby hangs a tale . Sedgwick was proud. Whenhe l ived in New York, he was regarded as the kind of man who never forgave the person who touched roughly upon his pride. You know,

of course, that your father married Miss Sedgwick in the face of the most bi t ter opposi t ion on the part of Edwin Brewster. Thelat ter refused to recognize her as his daughter, pract ical lydisowned his son, and heaped the harshest kind of calumny upon theSedgwicks. I t was commonly bel ieved about town that Jim Sedgwick left the country three or four years after this marriage for thesole reason that he and Edwin Brewster could not l ive in the same place. So deep was his hatred of the old man that he f led toescape ki l l ing him. I t was known that upon one occasion he visi tedthe office of his sister 's enemy for the purpose of slaying him,

but something prevented. He carried that hatred to the grave, asyou wil l see."

Montgomery Brewster was trying to gather himself together fromwithin the fog which made himself and the world unreal .

"I bel ieve I 'd l ike to have you read this extraor--the wil l , Mr.Grant ," he said, with an effort to hold his nerves in leash.

Mr. Grant cleared his throat and began in his st i l l voice. Once helooked up to f ind his l istener eager, and again to f ind him grownindifferent . He wondered dimly if this were a pose.

In brief , the last wil l of James T. Sedgwick bequeathedeverything, real and personal , of which he died possessed, to hisonly nephew, Montgomery Brewster of New York, son of Robert andLouise Sedgwick Brewster. Supplementing this al l - important clausethere was a set of condit ions governing the f inal disposi t ion of the estate . The most extraordinary of these condit ions was the onewhich required the heir to be absolutely penniless upon thetwenty-sixth anniversary of his bir th, September 23d.

The instrument went into detai l in respect to this supremecondit ion. I t set forth that Montgomery Brewster was to have noother worldly possession than the clothes which covered him on theSeptember day named. He was to begin that day without a penny tohis name, without a single art icle of jewelry, furni ture or f inance that he could cal l his own or could thereafter reclaim. At



nine o 'clock, New York t ime, on the morning of September 23d, theexecutor, under the provisions of the wil l , was to make over andtransfer to Montgomery Brewster al l of the moneys, lands, bonds,and interests mentioned in the inventory which accompanied thewil l . In the event that Montgomery Brewster had not , in every part icular , complied with the requirements of the wil l , to the

ful l sat isfact ion of the said executor, Swearengen Jones, theestate was to be distr ibuted among certain inst i tut ions of chari tydesignated in the instrument. Underlying this imperat iveinjunction of James Sedgwick was plainly discernible the motivethat prompted i t . In almost so many words he declared that hisheir should not receive the fortune if he possessed a single pennythat had come to him, in any shape or form, from the man he hated,Edwin Peter Brewster. While Sedgwick could not have known at thet ime of his death that the banker had bequeathed one mil l iondollars to his grandson, i t was more than apparent that he

expected the young man to be enriched l iberal ly by his enemy. I twas to preclude any possible chance of the mingling of his fortunewith the smallest port ion of Edwin P. Brewster 's that JamesSedgwick, on his deathbed, put his hand to this astonishinginstrument.

There was also a clause in which he undertook to dictate theconduct of Montgomery Brewster during the year leading up to histwenty-sixth anniversary. He required that the young man shouldgive sat isfactory evidence to the executor that he was capable of managing his affairs shrewdly and wisely,-- that he possessed theabil i ty to add to the fortune through his own enterprise; that heshould come to his twenty-sixth anniversary with a fair name and arecord free from anything worse than mild forms of dissipat ion;that his habits be temperate; that he possess nothing at the endof the year which might be regarded as a "visible or invisibleasset"; that he make no endowments; that he give sparingly tochari ty; that he nei ther loan nor give away money, for fear thati t might be restored to him later; that he l ive on the principlewhich inspires a man to "get his money's worth," be theexpenditure great or small . As these condit ions were prescribed

for but a single year in the l i fe of the heir , i t was evident thatMr. Sedgwick did not intend to impose any restr ict ions after the property had gone into his hands.

"How do you l ike i t?" asked Mr. Grant , as he passed the wil l toBrewster.



The lat ter took the paper and glanced over i t with the air of onewho had heard but had not ful ly grasped i ts meaning.

"It must be a joke, Mr. Grant ," he said, st i l l groping withdifficul ty through the fog.

"No, Mr. Brewster, i t is absolutely genuine. Here is a telegramfrom the Probate Court in Sedgwick's home county, received inresponse to a query from us. I t says that the wil l is to be f i ledfor probate and that Mr. Sedgwick was many t imes a mil l ionaire.This statement , which he cal ls an inventory, enumerates hisholdings and their value, and the footing shows $6,345,000 inround numbers. The investments, you see, are gi l t -edged. There isnot a bad penny in al l those mil l ions."

"Well , i t is rather staggering, isn ' t i t?" said Montgomery,

passing his hand over his forehead. He was beginning tocomprehend.

"In more ways than one. What are you going to do about i t?"

"Do about i t?" in surprise. "Why, i t 's mine, isn ' t i t?"

"It is not yours unti l next September," the lawyer quiet ly said.

"Well , I fancy I can wait ," said Brewster with a smile thatcleared the air.

"But , my dear fel low, you are already the possessor of a mil l ion.Do you forget that you are expected to be penniless a year fromnow?"

"Wouldn't you exchange a mil l ion for seven mil l ions, Mr. Grant?"

"But let me inquire how you purpose doing i t?" asked Mr. Grant ,mildly.

"Why, by the simple process of destruct ion. Don't you suppose Ican get r id of a mil l ion in a year? Great Scott , who wouldn't doi t! All I have to do is to cut a few purse str ings and there is but one natural conclusion. I don't mind being a pauper for a fewhours on the 23d of next September."

"That is your plan, then?"



"Of course. First I shal l substant iate al l that this wil l setsforth. When I am assured that there can be no possibi l i ty of mistake in the extent of this fortune and my undisputed claim,I ' l l take steps to get r id of my grandfather 's mil l ion in shortorder." Brewster 's voice rang true now. The zest of l i fe was

coming back.

Mr. Grant leaned forward slowly and his intent , penetrat ing gazeserved as a check to the young fel low's enthusiasm.

"I admire and approve the sagaci ty which urges you to exchange a paltry mill ion for a fortune, but i t seems to me that you areforget t ing the condit ions," he said, slowly. "Has i t occurred toyou that i t wil l be no easy task to spend a mil l ion dollarswithout in some way violat ing the restr ict ions in your uncle 's

wil l , thereby losing both fortunes?"

CHAPTER V

THE MESSAGE FROM JONES

A new point of view gradually came to Brewster. All his l i fe had been spent in wondering how to get enough money to pay his bi lls ,and i t had not occurred to him that i t might be as diff icul t tospend as to acquire wealth. The thought staggered him for amoment. Then he cried tr iumphantly, "I can decl ine to acceptgrandfather 's mil l ion."

"You cannot decl ine to accept what is already yours. I understandthat the money has been paid to you by Mr. Buskirk. You have amil l ion dollars, Mr. Brewster, and i t cannot be denied."

"You are r ight ," agreed Montgomery, dejectedly. "Really, Mr.Grant , this proposi t ion is too much for me. If you aren' t requiredto give an immediate answer, I want to think i t over. I t soundsl ike a dream."

"It is no dream, Mr. Brewster," smiled the lawyer. "You are face



to face with an amazing real i ty. Come in to-morrow morning and seeme again. Think i t over, study i t out . Remember the condit ions of the wil l and the condit ions that confront you. In the meantime, Ishal l wri te to Mr. Jones, the executor, and learn from him justwhat he expects you to do in order to carry out his own conceptionof the terms of your uncle 's wil l ."

"Don't wri te , Mr. Grant; te legraph. And ask him to wire his reply.A year is not very long in an affair of this kind." A moment later he added, "Damn these family feuds! Why couldn't Uncle James haverelented a bi t? He brings endless t rouble on my innocent head, just because of a row before I was born."

"He was a strange man. As a rule, one does not carry grudges quiteso far . But that is nei ther here nor there. His wil l is law inthis case."

"Suppose I succeed in spending al l but a thousand dollars beforethe 23d of next September! I 'd lose the seven mil l ions and be thenext thing to a pauper. That wouldn't be quite l ike get t ing mymoney's worth."

"It is a problem, my boy. Think i t over very seriously before youcome to a decision, one way or the other. In the meantime, we canestabl ish beyond a doubt the accuracy of this inventory."

"By al l means, go ahead, and please urge Mr. Jones not to be toohard on me. I bel ieve I ' l l r isk i t i f the restr ict ions are not toosevere. But i f Jones has puri tanical inst incts, I might as wellgive up hope and be sat isfied with what I have."

"Mr. Jones is very far from what you'd cal l puri tanical , but he isintensely pract ical and clear-headed. He wil l undoubtedly requireyou to keep an expense account and to show some sort of receiptfor every dollar you disburse."

"Good Lord! I temize?"

"In a general way, I presume."

"I ' l l have to employ an army of spendthrif ts to devise ways andmeans for profl igacy."

"You forget the i tem which restrains you from taking anybody into



your confidence concerning this matter . Think i t over. I t may not be so difficult after a night 's sleep."

"If i t isn ' t too diff icul t to get the night 's sleep."

All the rest of the day Brewster wandered about as one in a dream.

He was pre-occupied and puzzled, and more than one of his oldassociates, receiving a distant nod in passing, resentful lyconcluded that his wealth was beginning to change him. His brainwas so ful l of stat ist ics, f igures, and computat ions that i twhirled dizzi ly, and once he narrowly escaped being run down by acable car. He dined alone at a small French restaurant in one of the side streets. The waiter marveled at the amount of black coffee the young man consumed and looked hurt when he did nottouch the quai l and let tuce.

That night the l i t t le table in his room at Mrs. Gray's wasl i t tered with scraps of pad paper, each covered with anincomprehensible maze of f igures. After dinner he had gone to hisown rooms, forget t ing that he l ived on Fifth Avenue. Unti l longafter midnight he smoked and calculated and dreamed. For the f i rstt ime the immensity of that mil l ion thrust i tself upon him. If onthat very day, October the f i rst , he were to begin the task of spending i t he would have but three hundred and fif ty-seven daysin which to accomplish the end. Taking the round sum of onemil l ion dollars as a basis, i t was an easy matter to calculate hisaverage dai ly disbursement. The si tuat ion did not look so ut terlyimpossible unti l he held up the l i t t le sheet of paper and rueful lycontemplated the resul t of that simple problem in mathematics.

I t meant an average dai ly expenditure of $2,801.12 for nearly ayear, and even then there would be sixteen cents left over, for,in proving the resul t of his rough sum in division, he couldaccount for but $999,999.84. Then i t occurred to him that hismoney would be drawing interest at the bank.

"But for each day's $2,801.12, I am get t ing seven t imes as much,"

he sol i loquized, as he f inal ly got into bed. "That means$19,607.84 a day, a clear profi t of $16,806.72. That 's pret tygood--yes, too good. I wonder i f the bank couldn't obl ige me bynot charging interest ."

The figures kept adding and s ubtract ing themselves as he dozedoff, and once during the night he dreamed that Swearengen Jones



had sentenced him to eat a mil l ion dollars ' worth of game andsalad at the French restaurant . He awoke with the consciousnessthat he had cried aloud, "I can do i t , but a year is not very longin an affair of this kind."

It was nine o 'clock when Brewster f inal ly rose, and after his tub

he fel t ready to cope with any problem, even a substant ial breakfast. A message had come to him from Mr. Grant of Grant &Ripley, announcing the receipt of important dispatches fromMontana, and asking him to luncheon at one. He had t ime to spare,and as Margaret and Mrs. Gray had gone out , he telephoned Ell is totake his horse to the entrance to the park at once. The crispautumn air was perfect for his r ide, and Brewster found a number of smart people already riding and driving in the park. His horsewas keen for a canter and he had reached the obel isk before hedrew rein. As he was about to cross the carriage road he was

nearly run down by Miss Drew in her new French automobile .

"I beg your pardon," she cried. "You're the third person I 've runinto, so you see I 'm not discriminat ing against you."

"I should be f lat tered even to be run down by you."

"Very well , then, look out ." And she started the machine as i f tocharge him. She stopped in t ime, and said with a laugh, "Your gal lantry deserves a reward. Wouldn't you rather send your horsehome and come for a r ide with me?"

"My man is wait ing at Fifty-ninth Street . If you'l l come that far ,I ' l l go with pleasure."

Monty had merely a society acquaintance with Miss Drew. He had mether at dinners and dances as he had a host of other gir ls, but shehad impressed him more than the others. Something indescribabletook place every t ime their eyes met . Monty had often wondered just what that something meant, but he had always realized that i thad in i t nothing of platonic affect ion.

"If I didn' t have to meet her eyes," he had said to himself , "Icould go on discussing even poli t ics with her, but the moment shelooks at me I know she can see what I 'm thinking about ." From thefirst they considered themselves very good friends, and after their third meeting i t seemed perfect ly natural that they shouldcal l one another by their f i rst names. Monty knew he was treading



on dangerous ground. I t never occurred to him to wonder whatBarbara might think of him. He took i t as a matter of course thatshe must feel more than fr iendly toward him. As they rode throughthe maze of carriages, they bowed frequently to fr iends as they passed. They were conscious that some of the women, noticeably oldMiss Dexter, actual ly turned around and gazed at them.

"Aren't you afraid people wil l ta lk about us?" asked Monty with alaugh.

"Talk about our r iding together in the park? I t 's just as safehere as i t would be in Fifth Avenue. Besides, who cares? I fancywe can stand i t ."

"You're a thoroughbred, Barbara. I simply didn' t want you talkedabout . When I go too far , say the word and drop me."

"I have a luncheon at two, but unt i l then we have our r ide."

Monty gasped and looked at his watch. "Five minutes to one," hecried. The matter of his engagement with the at torney had quiteescaped him. In the exhilarat ion of Miss Drew's companionship hehad forgotten even Uncle James's mil l ions.

"I 've got a date at one that means l i fe and death to me. Would youmind taking me down to the nearest Elevated--or--here, le t me runit ."

Almost before Barbara was aware of what was happening they hadchanged places and the machine, under Monty's guidance, wastearing over the ground.

"Of al l the casual people," said the girl , by no means unequal tothe exci tement , "I bel ieve you're kidnapping me."

But when she saw the grim look on Monty's face and one policemanafter another warned him she became seriously alarmed. "Monty

Brewster, this pace is posi t ively dangerous."

"Perhaps i t is ," he responded, "but i f they haven't sense enoughto keep out of the way they shouldn't kick if they get run over."

"I don't mean the people or the automobiles or t raps or t rees or monuments, Monty; I mean you and me. I know we'l l e i ther be ki l led



or arrested."

"This isn ' t anything to the gai t I ' l l be going if everything turnsout as I expect . Don't be worried, Babs. Besides i t 's one now.Lord, I didn' t dream i t was so late ."

"Is your appointment so important?" she asked, hanging on.

"Well , I should say i t is , and--look out--you blooming idiot! Doyou want to get ki l led?" The last remark was hurled back at anindignant pedestrian who had escaped destruct ion by the merestchance.

"Here we are," he said, as they drew up beside the entrance to theElevated. "Thanks awfully,--you're a corker,--sorry to leave youthis way. I ' l l te l l you al l about i t la ter . You're a dear to help

me keep my appointment ."

"Seems to me you helped yourself ," she cried after him as hedarted up the steps. "Come up for tea some day and tel l me who thelady is."

After he had gone Miss Drew turned to her chauffeur, who was inthe tonneau. Then she laughed unrestrainedly, and the faintestshadow of a grin stole over the man's face.

"Beg pardon, Miss," he said, "but I 'd back Mr. Brewster againstFournier any day."

Only half an hour late , Brewster entered the office of Messrs.Grant & Ripley, f lushed, eager, and unconscious of the big splotchof mud that decorated his cheek.

"Awfully sorry to have kept you wait ing," he apologized.

"Sherlock Holmes would say that you had been driving, Mr.Brewster," said Mr. Ripley, shaking the young man's hand.

"He would miss i t , Mr. Ripley. I 've been flying. What have youheard from Montana?" He could no longer check the impatientquest ion, which came out so suddenly that the at torneys laughedirresist ibly, Brewster Joining them an instant later . They laid before him a half dozen telegrams, responses from bankers ,lawyers, and mine-operators in Montana. These messages establ ished



beyond doubt the extent of James T. Sedgwick's wealth; i t wasreported to be even greater than shown by the actual f igures.

"And what does Mr. Jones say?" demanded Montgomery.

"His reply resembles a press dispatch. He has t r ied to make

himself thoroughly clear, and if there is anything left unsaid i tis past our comprehension. I am sorry to inform you, though, thathe has paid the telegraph charges," said Mr. Grant , smil ing broadly.

"Is he rat ional about i t?" asked Montgomery, nervously.

Mr. Grant gave his partner a quick, significant glance, and thendrew from his desk the voluminous telegram from Swearengen Jones.I t was as fol lows:

October 2.

GRANT & RIPLEY,

Yucatan Building, New York.

I am to be sole referee in this matter . You are retained as myagents, heir to report to me through you weekly. One desire of uncle was to forestal l grandfather 's bequest . I shal l respect thatdesire . Enforce terms rigidly. He was my best fr iend and trustedme with disposi t ion of al l this money. Shall a t tend to i tsacredly. Heir must get r id of money left to him in given t ime.Out of respect to memory of uncle he must take no one into hisconfidence. Don't want world to think S. was damned fool . Hewasn't . Here are rules I want him to work under: 1. No recklessgambling. 2. No idiot ic Board of Trade speculat ion. 3. Noendowments to inst i tut ions of any character , because their memorywould be an invisible asset . 4. No indiscriminate giving away of funds. By that I don't mean him to be st ingy. I hate a st ingy manand so did J.T.S. 5. No more than ordinary dissipat ion. I hate a

saint . So did J.T.S. And both of us sowed an oat or two. 6. Noexcessive donations to chari ty. If he gives as other mil l ionairesdo I ' l l le t i t go at that . Don't bel ieve chari ty should be spoiled by indulgence. It is not easy to spend a mill ion, and I won't beunreasonable with him. Let him spend i t freely, but not foolishly,and get his money's worth out of i t . If he does that I ' l l consider him a good business man. I regard i t fool ish to t ip waiter more



than a dollar and car porter does not deserve over f ive. He doesnot earn more than one. If heir wants to t ry for the big stakehe 'd bet ter begin quick, because he might sl ip up if he waitsunti l day of judgment. I t 's less than year off . Luck to him. Willwri te you more ful ly.

S. JONES.

"Write more ful ly!" echoed Montgomery. "What can there be left towri te about?"

"He is explici t ," said the at torney, "but i t is best to know al lthe condit ions before you decide. Have you made up your mind?"

Brewster sat for a long t ime, staring hard at the f loor. A greatstruggle was going on in his mind.

"It 's a gamble, and a big one," he said at last , squaring hisshoulders, "but I ' l l take i t . I don't want to appear disloyal tomy grandfather, but I think that even he would advise me toaccept . Yes, you may wri te Mr. Jones that I accept the chance."

The at torneys complimented him on his nerve, and wished himsuccess. Brewster turned with a smile.

"I ' l l begin by asking what you think a reasonable fee for anat torney in a case of this kind. I hope you wil l act for me."

"You don't want to spend i t a l l in a lump, do you?" asked Mr.Grant , smil ing. "We can hardly act as counsel for both you and Mr.Jones."

"But I must have a lawyer, and the wil l l imits the number of myconfidants. What am I to do?"

"We wil l consult Mr. Jones in regard to the quest ion. I t is notregular, you see, but I apprehend no legal diff icul t ies. We cannot

accept fees from both sides, however," said Mr. Grant .

"But I want at torneys who are wil l ing to help me. I t won't be ahelp i f you decl ine to accept my money."

"We'l l resort to arbi trat ion," laughed Ripley.



Before night Montgomery Brewster began a career that would havestart led the world had the facts been known. With true loyal ty tothe "Lit t le Sons of the Rich," he asked his fr iends to dinner andopened their eyes.

"Champagne!" cried Harrison, as they were seated at table. "I

can' t remember the last t ime I had champagne."

"Natural ly," laughed "Subway" Smith. "You couldn't remember anything after that ."

As the dinner progressed Brewster explained that he intended todouble his fortune within a year. "I 'm going to have some fun,too," he said, "and you boys are to help me."

"Nopper" Harrison was employed as "superintendent of affairs";

Elon Gardner as f inancial secretary; Joe Bragdon as privatesecretary; "Subway" Smith as counsel , and there were places inview for the other members.

"I want the smartest apartment you can find, Nopper," hecommanded. "Don't stop at expense. Have Pet t ingi l l redecorate i tfrom top to bottom, Get the best servants you can find. I 'm goingto l ive, Nopper, and hang the consequences."

CHAPTER VI

MONTY CRISTO

A fortnight later Montgomery Brewster had a new home. In str ictobedience to his chief 's command, "Nopper" Harrison had leasedunti l the September fol lowing one of the most expensive apartments

to be found in New York City. The rental was $23,000, and theshrewd financial representat ive had saved $1,000 for his employer by paying the sum in advance. But when he reported this bi t of economy to Mr. Brewster he was s urprised that i t brought forth afrown. "I never saw a man who had less sense about money,"muttered "Nopper" to himself . "Why, he spends i t l ike a Chicagomill ionaire t rying to get into New York society. If i t were not



for the rest of us he 'd be a pauper in six months."

Paul Pet t ingi l l , to his own intense surprise and, i t must be said,consternat ion, was engaged to redecorate certain rooms accordingto a plan suggested by the tenant . The rising young art ist , in agreat f lurry of exci tement , agreed to do the work for $500, and

then blushed l ike a schoolgirl when he was informed by the practical Brewster that the paints and material for one room alonewould cost twice as much.

"Petty, you have no more idea of business than a goat ," cri t ic isedMontgomery, and Paul lowered his head in humble confession. "Thatman who calcimines your studio could f igure on a piece of work with more intel l igence than you reveal . I ' l l pay $2,500. I t 's onlya fair price, and I can' t afford anything cheap in this place."

"At this rate you won't be able to afford anything," saidPett ingi l l to himself .

And so i t was that Pet t ingi l l and a corps of decorators soonturned the rooms into a confusion of scaffoldings and paint buckets, out of which in the end emerged something verydist inguished. No one had ever thought Pet t ingi l l deficient inideas, and this was his opportunity. The only drawback was thet ime l imit which Brewster so remorselessly f ixed. Without that hefel t that he could have done something splendid in the way of decorat ive panels--something that would make even the glory of Puvis de Chavannes turn pal l id. With i t he was obliged to curb histurbulent ideas, and he decided that a r ich simplici ty was the proper note. The result was gorgeous, but not too gorgeous,-- ithad depth and dist inct ion.

Elated and eager, he assisted Brewster in s elect ing furni ture andhangings for each room, but he did not know that his employer wasmaking condit ional purchases of everything. Mr. Brewster hadagreements with al l the dealers to the effect that they were to buy everything back at a fair price, i f he desired to give up his

establ ishment within a year. He adhered to this rule in al l casesthat cal led for the purchase outright of substant ial necessi t ies.The bump of calculat iveness in Monty Brewster 's head was growingto abnormal proport ions.

In retaining his rooms at Mrs. Gray's, he gave the f l imsy but pathet ic excuse that he wanted a place in which he might f ind



occasional seasons of peace and quiet . When Mrs. Gray protestedagainst this useless bi t of extravagance, his grief was soobviously genuine that her heart was touched, and there was adeep, fervent joy in her soul . She loved this fair-faced boy, andtears of happiness came to her eyes when she was given this new proof of his loyal ty and devotion. His rooms were kept for him

just as i f he had expected to occupy them every day and everynight , notwithstanding the luxurious apartments he was to maintainelsewhere. The Oliver Optic books st i l l lay in the at t ic , a l ltat tered and torn, but to Margaret the embodiment of prospect iveriches, promises of sweet hours to come. She knew Monty wellenough to feel that he would not forget the dark l i t t le at t ic of old for al l the splendors that might come with the newdispensat ion.

There was no l i t t le surprise when he sent out invi tat ions for a

large dinner. His grandfather had been dead less than a month, andsociety was somewhat scandalized by the plain symptoms of disrespect he was showing. No one had expected him to observe a prolonged season of mourning, but that he should disregard theformali t ies completely was rather shocking. Some of the older people, who had not long to l ive and who had heirs-apparent ,openly denounced his heart lessness. I t was not very grat ifying tothink of what might be in store for them if al l memories were asshort as Brewster 's . Old Mrs. Ketchel l changed her wil l , and twonephews were cut off ent irely; a very modest and impecuniousgrandson of Joseph Garri ty also was to sustain a severe change of fortune in the near future, i f the cards spoke correct ly. JudgeVan Woort , who was not expected to l ive through the night , got better immediately after hearing some one in the sick-room whisper that Montgomery Brewster was to give a big dinner. Natural ly, theheirs-to-be condemned young Brewster in no uncertain terms.

Nevertheless, the dinner to be given by the grandson of old EdwinPeter Brewster was the talk of the town, and not one of the sixtyinvited guests could have been persuaded to miss i t . Reports as toi ts magnificence were abroad long before the night set for the

dinner. One of them had i t that i t was to cost $3,000 a plate .From that f igure the legendary price receded to a mark as low as$500. Montgomery would have been only too glad to pay $3,000 or more, but some mysterious force conveyed to his mind a perfect portrai t of Swearengen Jones in the act of putting down a large black mark against him, and he forbore.



"I wish I knew whether I had to abide by the New York or theMontana standard of extravagance," Brewster said to himself . "Iwonder i f he ever sees the New York papers."

Late each night the last of the grand old Brewster family went tohis bedroom where, after dismissing his man, he set t led down at

his desk, with a pencil and a pad of paper. Lighting the candles,which were more easi ly managed, he found, than lamps, and muchmore cost ly, he thoughtful ly and rel igiously calculated theexpenses for the day. "Nopper" Harrison and Elon Gardner had thereceipts for al l moneys spent , and Joe Bragdon was keeping anofficial report , but the "chief," as they cal led him, could not goto sleep unti l he was sat isfied in his own mind that he waskeeping up the average. For the f i rst two weeks i t had been easy--in fact , he seemed to have quite a comfortable lead in the race.He had spent almost $100,000 in the fortnight , but he real ized

that the greater part of i t had gone into the yearly and not thedai ly expense-account . He kept a "profi t and loss" entry in hisl i t t le private ledger, but i t was not l ike any other account of the kind in the world. What the ordinary merchant would havecharged to "loss" he jot ted down on the "profi t" side, and he wascontinual ly looking for opportunit ies to swell the total .

Rawles, who had been his grandfather 's but ler since the day after he landed in New York, came over to the grandson's establ ishment,great ly to the wrath and confusion of the lat ter 's Aunt Emmeline.The chef came from Paris and his name was Detui t . El l is, thefootman, also found a much bet ter berth with Monty than he had hadin the house on the avenue. Aunt Emmeline never forgave her nephewfor these base and disturbing acts of t reachery, as she cal ledthem.

One of Monty's most extraordinary f inancial feats grew out of the purchase of a $14,000 automobile. He blandly admit ted to "Nopper"Harrison and the two secretaries that he intended to use i t to practice with only, and that as soon as he learned how to run an"auto" as i t should be run he expected to buy a good, sensible,

durable machine for $7,000.

His staff officers frequently put their heads together to deviseways and means of curbing Monty's reckless extravagance. They wereworried.

"He's l ike a sai lor in port ," protested Harrison. "Money is no



object i f he wants a thing, and--damn i t --he seems to wanteverything he sees."

"It won't last long," Gardner said, reassuringly. "Like hisnamesake, Monte Cristo, the world is his just now and he wants toenjoy i t ."

"He wants to get r id of i t , i t seems to me."

Whenever they reproached Brewster about the matter he disarmedthem by saying, "Now that I 've got money I mean to give my friendsa good t ime. Just what you'd do if you were in my place. What 'smoney for, anyway?"

"But this $3,000-a-plate dinner--"

"I 'm going to give a dozen of them, and even then I can' t pay my just debts. For years I 've been entertained at people's houses andhave been taken cruising on their yachts. They have always been bully to me, and what have I ever done for them? Nothing. Now thatI can afford i t , I am going to return some of those favors andsquare myself . Doesn' t i t sound reasonable?"

And so preparat ions for Monty's dinner went on. In addit ion towhat he cal led his "efficient corps of gentlemanly aids" he hadsecured the services of Mrs. Dan DeMille as "social mentor anduti l i ty chaperon." Mrs. DeMille was known in the papers as theleader of the fast younger married set . She was one of thecleverest and best- looking young women in town, and her husbandwas of those who did not have to be "invited too." Mr. DeMillel ived at the club and visi ted his home. Some one said that he wasso slow and his wife so fast that when she invited him to dinner he usual ly was two or three days late . Altogether Mrs. DeMille wasa decided acquisi t ion to Brewster 's campaign committee. I trequired just her touch to make his part ies fun instead of funny.

It was on October 18th that the dinner was given. With the ski l l

of a general Mrs. Dan had seated the guests in such a way thatfrom the beginning things went off with zest . Colonel Drew took inMrs. Valentine and his content was assured; Mr. Van Winkle and the beautiful Miss Valentine were side by s ide, and no one could sayhe looked unhappy; Mr. Cromwell went in with Mrs. Savage; and thesame del icate tact-- in some cases i t was almost indel icate--wasdisplayed in the disposi t ion of other guests.



Somehow they had come with the expectat ion of being bored.Curiosi ty prompted them to accept , but i t did not prevent thesubsequent inevitable lassi tude. Social ly Monty Brewster had yetto make himself fel t . He and his dinners were something to talk:about , but they were accepted hesi tat ingly, hal t ingly. People

wondered how he had secured the cooperat ion of Mrs. Dan, but thenMrs. Dan always did go in for a new toy. To her was inevitablyat tr ibuted whatever success the dinner achieved. And i t was nosmall measure. Yet there was nothing start l ing about the affair .Monty had decided to begin conservat ively. He did the conventionalthing, but he did i t well . He added a touch or two of luxury, thefaintest aroma of splendor. Pet t ingi l l had designed the curiouslywayward table, with i ts comfortable atmosphere of companionship,and arranged i ts decorat ion of great lavender orchids and lacy butterfly festoons of white ones touched with yel low. He had

wanted to use dahlias in their many rich shades from pale yel lowto orange and deep red, but Monty held out for orchids. I t was theart ist , too, who had found in a rare and happy moment the massivegold candelabra--ancient things of a more luxurious age--and their opalescent shades. Against his advice the service, too, was of gold,--"rank vulgari ty," he cal led i t , with i ts r ich meaninglessornamentat ion. But here Monty was obdurate. He insisted that hel iked the color and that porcelain had no character . Mrs. Dan only prevented a quarrel by suggesting that several courses should beserved upon Sevres.

Pet t ingi l l 's scheme for l ight ing the room was part icularly happy.For the benefi t of his walls and the four lovely Monets whichMonty had purchased at his inst igat ion, he had designed a cei l ingscreen of heavy rich glass in tones of white that grew into yel lowand dull green. I t served to conceal the l ights in the daytime,and at night the glare of electr ici ty was immensely softened andmade harmonious by passing through i t . I t gave a note of quiet tothe picture, which caused even these men and women, who had beenhere and there and seen many things, to draw in their breathsharply. Altogether the effect manifest ly made an impression.

Such an environment had i ts influence upon the company. I t wentfar toward making the dinner a success. From far in the distancecame the softened strains of Hungarian music, and never had thel i t t le band played the "Valse Amoureuse" and the "Valse Bleue"with the spiri t i t put into them that night . Yet the soft clamor in the dining-room insistent ly ignored the emotion of the music.



Monty, bored as he was between the two most important dowagers atthe feast , wondered dimly what invisible part i t played in makingthings go. He had a vagrant fancy that without i t there would have been no zest for talk, no noisy competit ion to overcome, nohurdles to leap. As i t was, the talk certainly went well , and Mrs.Dan inspected the resul t of her work from t ime to t ime with

smil ing sat isfact ion. From across the table she heard ColonelDrew's voice,--"Brewster evidently objects to a long siege. He is planning to carry us by assault"

Mrs. Dan turned to "Subway" Smith, who was at her r ight--thelatest addit ion to her menagerie . "What is this fr iend of yours?"she asked. "I have never seen such complex simplici ty. This new plaything has no real charm for him. He is breaking i t to f ind outwhat i t is made of. And something wil l happen when he discoversthe sawdust ."

"Oh, don't worry about him," said "Subway," easi ly; "Monty's atleast a good sportsman. He won't complain, whatever happens. He'l laccept the reckoning and pay the piper."

It was only toward the end of the evening that Monty found hisreward in a moment with Barbara Drew. He stood before her,squaring his shoulders bel l igerently to keep away intruders, andshe smiled up at him in that bewildering fashion of hers. But i twas only for an instant , and then came a terrifying din from thedining-room, fol lowed by the clamor of crashing glass. The gueststr ied for a moment to be courteously oblivious, but the noise wasso start l ing that such poli teness became farcical . The host , witha l i t t le laugh, went down the hal l . I t was the beautiful screennear the cei l ing that had fal len. A thousand pieces of shat teredglass covered the place. The table was a sickening heap of crushedorchids and sputtering candles. Frightened servants rushed intothe room from one side just as Brewster entered from the other.Stupefact ion hal ted them. After the f i rst pulseless moment of horror, exclamations of dismay went up on al l sides. For MontyBrewster the f i rst sensat ion of regret was fol lowed by a

diabolical sense of joy.

"Thank the Lord!" he said soft ly in the hush.

The look of surprise he encountered in the faces of his guests brought him up with a jerk.



"That i t didn' t happen while we were dining," he added with serenethankfulness. And his nonchalance scored for him in the idle gamehe was playing.

CHAPTER VII

A LESSON IN TACT

Mr. Brewster 's but ler was surprised and annoyed. For the f i rstt ime in his official career he had unbent so far as to manifest a personal interest in the welfare of his master . He was on the

verge of assuming a responsibi l i ty which makes any servantintolerable. But after his interview he resolved that he wouldnever again overstep his posi t ion. He made sure that i t should bethe last offense. The day fol lowing the dinner Rawles appeared before young Mr. Brewster and indicated by his manner that thecal l was an important one. Brewster was seated at his wri t ing-table, deep in thought . The exclamation that fol lowed Rawles'scough of announcement was so sharp and so unmistakably f ierce thatal l other evidence paled into insignificance. The butler 'sinterruption came at a moment when Monty's mental ari thmetic was pull ing itself out of a very bad rut, and the cough drove i t back into chaos.

"What is i t ," he demanded, i rr i tably. Rawles had upset hiscalculat ions to the extent of seven or eight hundred dollars.

"I came to report h 'an unfortunate condit ion h 'among the servants,sir ," said Rawies, st i ffening as his responsibi l i ty became moreand more weighty. He had relaxed temporari ly upon entering theroom.

"What 's the t rouble?"

"The trouble 's h 'ended, sir ."

"Then why bother me about i t?"

"I thought i t would be well for you to know, sir . The servants was



going to ask for ' igher wiges to-day, sir ."

"You say they were going to ask. Aren' t they?" And Monty's eyesl ighted up at the thought of new possibi l i t ies.

"I convinced them, sir , as how they were get t ing good pay as i t

is , si r , and that they ought to be sat isfied. They'd be a longtime finding a bet ter place and as good wiges. They 'aven't beenwith you a week, and here they are str ikin ' for more pay. Really,sir , these American servants--"

"Rawles, that ' l l do!" exploded Monty. The butler 's chin went upand his cheeks grew redder than ever.

"I beg pardon, sir ," he gasped, with a respectful but injured air .

"Rawles, you wil l kindly not interfere in s uch matters again. I tis not only the privi lege, but the duty of every American tostr ike for higher pay whenever he feels l ike i t , and I want i tdist inct ly understood that I am heart i ly in favor of their at t i tude. You wil l kindly go back and tel l them that after areasonable length of service their wiges--I mean wages--shal l beincreased. AND DON'T MEDDLE AGAIN, Rawles."

Late that afternoon Brewster dropped in at Mrs. DeMille 's to talk over plans for the next dinner. He real ized that in no other waycould he squander his money with a bet ter chance of get t ing i tsworth than by throwing himself bodily into society. I t wenteasi ly, and there could be only one asset arising from i t in theend--his own sense of disgust .

"So glad to see you, Monty," greeted Mrs. Dan, glowingly, comingin with a rush. "Come upstairs and I ' l l give you some tea and acigaret te . I 'm not at home to anybody."

"That 's very good of you, Mrs. Dan," said he, as they mounted thestairs. "I don't know what I 'd do without your help." He was

thinking how pret ty she was.

"You'd be r icher, a t any rate ," turning to smile upon him from theupper landing. "I was in tears half the night , Monty, over thatglass screen," she said, after f inding a comfortable place amongthe cushions of a divan. Brewster dropped into a roomy, lazy chair in front of her and handed her a cigaret te , as he responded



carelessly:

"It amounted to nothing. Of course, i t was very annoying that i tshould happen while the guests were st i l l there." Then he added,gravely: "In str ict confidence, I had planned to have i t fal l justas we were pushing back our chairs, but the confounded thing

disappointed me. That 's the t rouble with these automatic cl imaxes;they usual ly hang fire . I t was to have been a sort of Fal l of Babylon effect , you know."

"Splendid! But l ike Babylon, i t fel l a t the wrong t ime."

For a l ively quarter of an hour they discussed people about town,l iberal ly approving the slandered and denouncing the slanderers. Ast i l l busier quarter of an hour ensued when together they made upthe l ist of dinner guests. He moved a l i t t le wri t ing-table up to

the divan, and she looked on eagerly while he wrote down the namesshe suggested after many puckerings of her fair , aristocrat ic brow, and then drew lines through them when she changed her mind.Mrs. DeMille handled her people without gloves in making upMonty's l ists. The dinners were not hers, and she could afford todo as she pleased with his; he was broad and tal l and she was notslow to see that he was indifferent . He did not care who theguests were, or how they came; he merely wished to make sure of their presence. His only blunder was the rather diff identrecommendation that Barbara Drew be asked again. If he observedthat Mrs. Dan's head sank a l i t t le closer to the paper, heat tached no importance to the movement; he could not see that her eyes grew narrow, and he paid no at tent ion to the l i t t le catch inher breath.

"Wouldn't that be a l i t t le--just a l i t t le pronounced?" she asked,l ight ly enough.

"You mean--that people might talk?"

"She might feel conspicuously present ."

"Do you think so? We are such good friends, you know."

"Of course, i f you'd l ike to have her," slowly and doubtful ly,"why, put her name down. But you evidently haven't seen that ."Mrs. Dan pointed to a copy of the Trumpet which lay on the table.



When he had handed her the paper she said, " 'The Censor ' isgrowing facet ious at your expense."

"I am get t ing on in society with a vengeance if that ass starts into wri te about me. Listen to this"--she had pointed out to him theobnoxious paragraph--"If Brewster Drew a diamond flush, do you

suppose he 'd catch the queen? And if he caught her, how long doyou think she 'd remain Drew? Or, i f she Drew Brewster, would she be will ing to learn such a game as Monte?"

The next morning a wri ter who signed himself "The Censor" got athrashing and one Montgomery Brewster had his name in the papers,surrounded by fulsome words of praise.

CHAPTER VIII

THE FORELOCK OF TIME

One morning not long after the incidents just related, Brewster lay in bed, staring at the cei l ing, deep in thought . There was aworried pucker on his forehead, half-hidden by the rumpled hair ,and his eyes were wide and sleepless. He had dined at the Drews'the evening before and had had an awakening. As he thought of thematter he could recal l no special occurrence that he could real lyuse as evidence. Colonel and Mrs. Drew had been as kind as ever and Barbara could not have been more charming. But something hadgone wrong and he had endured a wretched evening.

"That l i t t le English Johnnie was to blame," he argued. "Of course,Barbara had a r ight to put any one she l iked next to her, but whyshe should have chosen that si l ly ass is more than I know. ByJove, i f I had been on the other side I ' l l warrant his grace would

have been lost in the dust ."

His brain was whirl ing, and for the f i rst t ime he was beginning tofeel the unpleasant pangs of jealousy. The Duke of Beauchamp heespecial ly disl iked, al though the poor man had hardly spokenduring the dinner. But Monty could not be reconciled. He knew, of course, that Barbara had sui tors by the dozen, but i t had never



occurred to him that they were even seriously considered. Notwithstanding the fact that his encounter with "The Censor" had brought her into undesirable notice, she forgave him everythingafter a moment 's considerat ion. The first few wrenches of resentment were overbalanced by her American appreciat ion of chivalry, however inspired. "The Censor" had gone for years

unpunished; his coarse wit being aimed at every one who had comeinto social prominence. So pungent and vindict ive was his pen thatother men feared him, and there were many who l ived in glasshouses in terror of a fusi lade. Brewster 's prompt and sufficientact ion had checked the pernicious at tacks, and he became a heroamong men and women. After that night there was no point to "TheCensor 's" pen. Monty's f i rst qualms of apprehension were sweptaway when Colonel Drew himself hai led him the morning after theencounter and, in no unmeasured terms, congratulated him upon hisachievement, assuring him that Barbara and Mrs. Drew approved,

al though they might lecture him as a matter of form.

But on this morning, as he lay in his bed, Monty was thinkingdeeply and painful ly. He was confronted by a most embarrassingcondit ion and he was discussing i t soberly with himself . "I 'venever told her," he said to himself , "but i f she doesn' t know myfeel ing she is not as clever as I think. Besides, I haven't t imeto make love to her now. If i t were any other gir l I suppose I 'dhave to, but Babs, why, she must understand. And yet--damn thatDuke!"

In order to woo her properly he would be compelled to neglectfinancial dut ies that needed every part icle of brain-energy at hiscommand. He found himself opposed at the outset by a start l ingembarrassment, made absolutely clear by the computat ions of thenight before. The last four days of indifference to f inance on oneside, and pampering the heart on the other, had proved verycost ly. To use his own expression, he had been "set back" almosteight thousand dollars. An average l ike that would be ruinous.

"Why, think of i t ," he continued. "For each day sacrif iced to

Barbara I must deduct something l ike twenty-five hundred dollars.A long campaign would put me irretr ievably in the hole; I 'd get sofar behind that a holocaust couldn't put me even. She can' t expectthat of me, yet gir ls are such idiots about devotion, and of course she doesn' t know what a heavy task I 'm facing. And thereare the others--what wil l they do while I am out of the running? Icannot go to her and say, 'Please, may I have a year 's vacat ion?



I ' l l come back next September. ' On the other hand, I shal l surelyneglect my business i f she expects me to compete. What pleasureshal l I get out of the seven mil l ions i f I lose her? I can' tafford to take chances. That Duke won't have seven mil l ions nextSeptember, i t 's t rue, but he ' l l have a prodigious argument againstme, about the twenty-first or second."

Then a bri l l iant thought occurred to him which caused him to r ingfor a messenger-boy with such a show of impatience that Rawlesstood aghast . The telegram which Monty wrote was as fol lows:

SWEARENGEN JONES,

Butte , Montana

May I marry and turn al l property over to wife, providing she wil l

have me?

MONTGOMERY BREWSTER.

"Why isn ' t that reasonable?" he asked himself after the boy hadgone. "Making property over to one 's wife is nei ther a loan nor isi t chari ty. Old Jones might cal l i t needless extravagance, sincehe 's a bachelor, but i t 's general ly done because i t 's good business." Monty was hopeful.

Following his habit in t rouble, he sought Margaret Gray, to whomhe could always appeal for advice and consolat ion. She was to cometo his next dinner-party, and i t was easy to lead up to thesubject in hand by mentioning the other guests.

"And Barbara Drew," he concluded, after naming al l the others.They were alone in the l ibrary, and she was drinking in thedetai ls of the dinner as he related them.

"Wasn't she at your f i rst dinner?" she asked, quickly.

He successful ly affected mild embarrassment.

"Yes."

"She must be very at t ract ive." There was no venom in Peggy'sheart .



"She is at t ract ive. In fact , she 's one of the best , Peggy," hesaid, paving the way.

"It 's too bad she seems to care for that l i t t le Duke."

"He's a bounder," he argued.

"Well , don't take i t to heart . You don't have to marry him," andPeggy laughed.

"But I do take i t to heart , Peggy," said Monty, seriously. "I 'm pret ty hard hit , and I want your help. A sister 's advice is alwaysthe best in a matter of this sort ."

She looked into his eyes dully for an instant , not real izing theful l importance of his confession.

"You, Monty?" she said, incredulously.

"I 've got i t bad, Peggy," he repl ied, staring hard at the f loor.She could not understand the cold, gray tone that suddenlyenveloped the room. The strange sense of lonel iness that came over her was inexplicable. The l i t t le something that rose in her throatwould not be dislodged, nor could she throw off the weight thatseemed pressing down upon her. He saw the odd look in her eyes andthe drawn, uncertain smile on her l ips, but he at t r ibuted them towonder and increduli ty. Somehow, after al l these years, he wastransformed before her very eyes; she was looking upon a new personality. He was no longer Montgomery, the brother, but shecould not explain how and when the change crept over her. What didi t a l l mean? "I am very glad if i t wil l make you happy, Monty,"she said slowly, the gray in her l ips giving way to red once more."Does she know?"

"I haven't told her in so many words, Peggy, but--but I 'm going tothis evening," he announced, lamely.

"This evening?"

"I can' t wait ," Monty said as he rose to go. "I 'm glad you're pleased, Peggy; I need your good wishes. And, Peggy," hecontinued, with a touch of boyish wistfulness, "do you think there 's a chance for a fel low? I 've had the very deuce of a t imeover that Englishman."



I t was not qui te easy for her to say, "Monty, you are the best inthe world. Go in and win."

From the window she watched him swing off down the street ,wondering if he would turn to wave his hand to her, his custom for

years. But the broad back was straight and uncompromising. Hislong str ides carried him swift ly out of sight , but i t was manyminutes before she turned her eyes, which were smart ing a l i t t le ,from the point where he was lost in the crowd. The room lookedashen to her as she brought her mind back to i t , and somehowthings had grown difficul t .

When Montgomery reached home he found this telegram from Mr.Jones:

MONTGOMERY BREWSTER,

New York City.

St ick to your knit t ing, you damned fool .

S. JONES.

CHAPTER IX

LOVE AND A PRIZE-FIGHT

It is best not to repeat the expressions Brewster used regardingone S. Jones, after reading his telegram. But he fel t considerablyrel ieved after he had ut tered them. He fel l to reading accounts of the big prize-fight which was to take place in San Francisco that

evening. He revel led in the descript ions of "upper cuts" and "lefthooks," and learned incidental ly that the affair was to be quiteone-sided. A local amateur was to box a champion. Quick to see anopportunity, and cajol ing himself into the bel ief that SwearengenJones could not object to such a display of sportsmanship,Brewster made Harrison book several good wagers on the resul t . Heint imated that he had reason to bel ieve that the favori te would



lose. Harrison soon placed three thousand dollars on his man. Theyoung financier fel t so sure of the resul t that he entered the bets on the profi t side of his ledger the moment he receivedHarrison's report .

This done, he telephoned Miss Drew. She was not insensible to the

significance of his inquiry i f she would be in that afternoon. Shehad observed in him of late a condit ion of uneasiness,supplemented by moroseness and occasional periods of i rascibi l i ty.Every girl whose occupation in l i fe is the study of men recognizesthese symptoms and knows how to t reat them. Barbara had deal t withmany men affl icted in this manner, and the f lut ter of ant icipat ionthat came with his urgent plea to see her was tempered byexperience. I t had something of joy in i t , for she cared enoughfor Montgomery Brewster to have made her anxiously uncertain of his state of mind. She cared, indeed, much more than she intended

to confess at the outset .

I t was nearly half-past f ive when he came, and for once the philosophical Miss Drew fel t a l i t t le irr itation. So certain wasshe of his object in coming that his tardiness was a t r i f leruffl ing. He apologized for being late , and succeeded in banishingthe pique that possessed her. I t was natural ly impossible for himto share al l his secrets with her, that is why he did not tel l her that Grant & Ripley had cal led him up to report the receipt of atelegram from Swearengen Jones, in which the gentleman laconical lysaid he could feed the whole State of Montana for less than sixthousand dollars. Beyond that there was no comment. Brewster, indire t repidat ion, hastened to the office of the at torneys. Theysmiled when he burst in upon them.

"Good heavens!" he exclaimed, "does the miserly old hayseed expectme to spend a mil l ion for newspapers, c igaret tes and Bostonterriers? I thought he would be reasonable!"

"He evidently has seen the newspaper accounts of your dinner, andthis is merely his comment," said Mr. Ripley.

"It 's e i ther a warning, or else he 's ambiguous in hiscompliments," growled Brewster, disgustedly.

"I don't bel ieve he disapproved, Mr. Brewster. In the west the oldgentleman is widely known as a wit ."



"A wit , eh? Then he ' l l appreciate an answer from me. Have you atelegraph blank, Mr. Grant?"

Two minutes later the fol lowing telegram to Swearengen Jones wasawait ing the arrival of a messenger-boy, and Brewster was blandlyassuring Messrs. Grant & Ripley that he did not "care a rap for

the consequences":

NEW YORK, October 23, 1--

SWEARENGEN JONES,

Butte , Mont.

No doubt you could do it for less than six thousand. Montana isregarded as the best grazing country in the world, but we don't

eat that sort of stuff in New York. That 's why i t costs more tol ive here.


Just before leaving his apartments for Miss Drew's home hereceived this response from faraway Montana:

BUTTE, MONTANA, Oct. 23, 1--

MONTGOMERY BREWSTER, New York.

We are eight thousand feet above the level of the sea. I supposethat 's why i t costs us less to l ive high.

S. JONES.

"I was beginning to despair , Monty," said Miss Drew,reproachful ly, when he had come down from the height of hisexasperat ion and remembered that there were things of moreimportance.

The l ight in his eyes brought the faintest t inge of red to her cheeks, and where a moment before there had been annoyance therewas now a feel ing of sereni ty. For a moment the si lence wasfraught with purpose. Monty glanced around the room, uncertain howto begin. I t was not so easy as he had imagined.



"You are very good to see me," he said at last . "I t was absolutelynecessary for me to talk to you this evening; I could not haveendured the suspense any longer. Barbara, I 've spent three or four sleepless nights on your account . Wil l i t spoil your evening if Itel l you in plain words what you already know? It won't bother you, wil l i t?" he f loundered.

"What do you mean, Monty?" she begged, purposely dense, and withwonderful control of her eyes.

"I love you, Babs," he cried. "I thought you knew about i t a l lalong or I should have told you before. That 's why I haven'tslept . The fear that you may not care for me has driven me nearlyto distract ion. I t couldn't go on any longer. I must know to-day."

There was a gleam in his eyes that made her pose of indifference

difficul t ; the fervor of his half-whispered words took possessionof her. She had expected sentiment of such a different character that his frank confession disarmed her completely. Beneath hisardent , abrupt plea there was assurance, the confidence of one whois not to be denied. I t was not what he said, but the way he saidi t . A wave of exultat ion swept over her, t ingl ing through everynerve. Under the spel l her resolut ion to dal ly l ight ly with hisemotion suffered a check that almost brought ignominioussurrender. Both of her hands were clasped in his when heexult ingly resumed the charge against her heart , but she wasrapidly regaining control of her emotions and he did not know thathe was losing ground with each step he took forward. Barbara Drewloved Brewster, but she was going to make him pay dearly for the brief lapse her composure had experienced. When next she spoke shewas again the Miss Drew who had been trained in the ways of theworld, and not the young girl in love.

"I care for you a great deal , Monty," she said, "but I 'm wonderingwhether I care enough to--to marry you."

"We haven't known each other very long, Babs," he said, tenderly,

"but I think we know each other well enough to be beyondwondering."

"It is l ike you to manage the whole thing," she said, chidingly."Can't you give me t ime to convince myself that I love you as youwould l ike, and as I must love if I expect to be happy with theman I marry?"



"I forgot myself ," he s aid, humbly.

"You forgot me," she protested, gently, touched by this sign of contri t ion. "I do care for you, Monty, but don't you see i t 's nol i t t le thing you ask of me? I must be sure--very sure--before I--

before--"

"Don't be so distressed," he pleaded. "You wil l love me, I know, because you love me now. This means much to me, but i t means moreto you. You are the woman and you are the one whose happinessshould be considered. I can l ive only in the hope that when I cometo you again with this same story and this same quest ion you'l lnot be afraid to t rust yourself to me."

"You deserve to be happy for that , Monty," she said, earnest ly,

and i t was with diff icul ty that she kept her eyes from wavering asthey looked into his.

"You wil l le t me try to make you love me?" he asked, eagerly.

"I may not be worth the struggle."

"I ' l l take that chance," he repl ied.

She was conscious of disappointment after he was gone. He had not pleaded as ardently as she had expected and desired, and, t ry asshe would, she could not banish the touch of i rr i tat ion that hadcome to haunt her for the night .

Brewster walked to the club, elated that he had at least made a beginning. His posit ion was now clear. Besides losing a fortune hemust win Barbara in open competi t ion.

At the theater that evening he met Harrison, who was in a state of jubi lation.

"Where did you get that t ip?" asked he.

"Tip? What t ip?" from Brewster.

"On the prize-fight?"

Brewster 's face fel l and something cold crept over him.



"How did--what was the resul t?" he asked, s ure of the answer.

"Haven't you heard? Your man knocked him out in the f i f th round--surprised everybody."

CHAPTER X

NAPOLEON OF FINANCE

The next two months were busy ones for Brewster. Miss Drew saw him

quite as often as before the important interview, but he wasalways a puzzle to her.

"His at t i tude is changed somehow," she thought to herself , andthen she remembered that "a man who wins a gir l after an ardentsui t is often l ike one who runs after a street car and then si tsdown to read his paper."

In t ruth after the f i rst few days Monty seemed to have forgottenhis competi tors, and was rest ing in the consciousness of hisassured posi t ion. Each day he sent her f lowers and considered thathe had more than done his duty. He used no small part of hisincome on the f lowers, but in this case his mission was almostforgotten in his love for Barbara.

Monty's at t i tude was not due to any wanting of his affect ion, butto the very unromantic business in which he was engaged. I t seemedto him that , plan as he might , he could not devise fresh ways andmeans to earn $16,000 a day. He was st i l l comfortably ahead in therace, but a famine in opportunit ies was not far remote. Ten bigdinner part ies and a str ing of elaborate after-the-play suppers

maintained a fair but insufficient average, and he could see thatthe t ime was r ipe for radical measures. He could not go on forever with his dinners. People were already beginning to refer to thefact that he was warming his toes on the Social Register , and hehad no desire to become the laughing stock of the town. The fewslighting, sarcast ic remarks about his business abi l i ty, chiefly by women and therefore reflected from the men, hurt him. Miss



Drew's apparently harmless taunt and Mrs. Dan's open cri t icismtold plainly enough how the wind was blowing, but i t was Peggy'sgentle quest ions that cut the deepest . There was such honestconcern in her voice that he could see how his profl igacy wastroubling her and Mrs. Gray. In their eyes, more than in theothers, he fel t ashamed and humil iated. Final ly, goaded by the

remark of a bank director which he overheard, "Edwin P. Brewster is turning handsprings in his grave over the way he is going i t ,"Monty resolved to redeem himself in the eyes of his cri t ics. Hewould show them that his brain was not wholly given over tofrivoli ty.

With this project in mind he decided to cause a l i t t le exci tementin Wall Street . For some days he steal thi ly watched the stock market and pl ied his fr iends with quest ions about values. Constantreading and observat ion final ly convinced him that Lumber and Fuel

Common was the one stock in which he could safely plunge. Cast ingaside al l apprehension, so far as Swearengen Jones was concerned,he prepared for what was to be his one and only venture on theStock Exchange before the 23d of the fol lowing September. With al lthe cunning and craft iness of a general he laid his plans for theat tack. Gardner 's face was the picture of despair when Brewster asked him to buy heavily in Lumber and Fuel .

"Good heavens, Monty," cried the broker, "you're joking. Lumber isaway up now. I t can' t possibly go a fract ion of a point higher.Take my advice and don't touch i t . I t opened to-day at 111 3/4 andclosed at 109. Why, man, you're crazy to think about i t for aninstant ."

"I know my business, Gardner," said Brewster, quiet ly, and hisconscience smote him when he saw the f lush of mort if icat ion creepinto the face of his fr iend. The rebuke had cut Gardner to thequick.

"But, Monty, I know what I 'm talking about . At least le t me tel lyou something about this stock," pleaded Elon, loyal ly, despi te

the wound.

"Gardy, I 've gone into this thing careful ly, and if ever a manfel t sure about anything I do about this," said Monty, decidedly, but affectionately.

"Take my word for i t Lumber can' t go any higher. Think of the



si tuat ion; the lumber men in the north and west are overstocked,and there is a str ike ready to go into effect . When that comes thestock wil l go for a song. The slump is l iable to begin any day."

"My mind is made up," said the other f i rmly, and Gardner was indespair . "Will you or wil l you not execute an order for me at the

opening to-morrow? I ' l l start with ten thousand shares. What wil li t cost me to margin i t for ten points?"

"At least a hundred thousand, exclusive of commission, which would be twelve and a half a hundred shares." Despite the most s trenuousopposi t ion from Gardner, Brewster adhered to his design, and the broker executed the order the next morning. He knew that Brewster had but one chance to win, and that was to buy the stock in a lumpinstead of distr ibut ing i t among several brokers and throughoutthe session. This was a point that Monty had overlooked.

There had been l i t t le to exci te the Stock Exchange for some weeks:nothing was act ive and the sl ightest f lurry was hai led as anevent . Every one knew that the calm would be disturbed at somenear day, but nobody looked for a sensat ion in Lumber and Fuel . I twas a foregone conclusion that a slump was coming, and there wasscarcely any trading in the s tock. When Elon Gardner, act ing for Montgomery Brewster; took ten thousand shares at 108 3/4 there wasa mighty gasp on the Exchange, then a rubbing of eyes, thencommotion. Astonishment was fol lowed by nervousness, and then camethe struggle.

Brewster, confident that the stock could go no higher, and thatsooner or later i t must drop, calmly ordered his horse for a r idein the snow-covered park. Even though he knew the venture was to be a failure in the ordinary sense he found joy in the knowledgethat he was doing something. He might be a fool , he was at leastno longer inact ive. The feel of the air was good to him. He wasexhilarated by the gl i t ter of the snow, the answering exci tementof his horse, the gaiety and sparkle of l i fe about him.

Somewhere far back in his inner self there seemed to be the soundof cheering and the clapping of hands. Short ly before noon hereached his club, where he was to lunch with Colonel Drew. In thereading-room he observed that men were looking at him in a manner less casual than was customary. Some of them went so far as tosmile encouragingly, and others waved their hands in the mostcordial fashion. Three or four very young members looked upon him



with admirat ion and envy, and even the porters seemed moreobsequious. There was something strangely oppressive in al l thisshow of deference.

Colonel Drew's dignity relaxed amazingly when he caught sight of the young man. He came forward to meet him and his greet ing almost

carried Monty off his feet .

"How did you do i t , my boy?" cried the Colonel . "She 's off a pointor two now, I bel ieve, but half an hour ago she was booming. Gad,I never heard of anything more spectacular!"

Monty's heart was in his mouth as he rushed over to the t icker. I tdid not take him long to grasp the immensity of the disaster .Gardner had bought in at 108 3/4, and that very act ion seemed to put new life into the stock. Just as it was on the point of

breaking for lack of support along came this sensat ional order for ten thousand shares; and there could be but one resul t . At onet ime in the morning Lumber and Fuel , t raded in by exci ted holders,touched 113 1/2 and seemed in a fair way to hold f i rm around thatfigure.

Other men came up and l istened eagerly. Brewster real ized that hisdash in Lumber and Fuel had been a master-stroke of clevernesswhen considered from the point of view of these men, but acatastrophe from his own.

"I hope you sold i t when i t was at the top," said the Colonelanxiously.

"I instructed Gardner to sel l only when I gave the word," saidMonty, lamely. Several of the men looked at him in surprise anddisgust .

"Well , i f I were you I 'd tel l him to sel l ," remarked the Colonel ,coldly.

"The effect of your plunge has worn off , Brewster, and the other side wil l drive prices down. They won't be caught napping again,ei ther," said one of the bystanders earnest ly.

"Do you think so?" And there was a note of rel ief in Monty'svoice.



From all sides came the advice to sell at once, but Brewster wasnot to be pushed. He calmly l ighted a cigaret te , and with anassured air of wisdom told them to wait a l i t t le while and see.

"She's already fal l ing off ," said some one at the t icker.

When Brewster 's bewildered eyes raced over the f igures the stock was quoted at 112. His sigh of rel ief was heard but misunderstood.He might be saved after al l . The stock had started to go down andthere seemed no reason why i t should stop. As he intended to purchase no more it was fair to assume that the backbone was atthe breaking point . The crash was bound to come. He could hardlyrestrain a cry of joy. Even while he stood at the t icker thel i t t le instrument began to tel l of a further decl ine. As the pricewent down his hopes went up.

The bystanders were beginning to be disgusted. "It was only afluke after al l ," they said to each other. Colonel Drew wasappealed to urge Monty to save himself , and he was on the point of remonstrance when the message came that the threatened str ike wasoff , and that the men were wil l ing to arbi trate . Almost before onecould draw breath this start l ing news began to make i tself fel t .The certainty of a great str ike was one of the things that hadmade Brewster sure that the price could not hold. With this danger removed there was nothing to jeopardize the earning power of thestock. The next quotat ion was a point higher.

"You sly dog," said the Colonel , digging Monty in the side. "I hadconfidence in you al l the t ime."

In ten minutes ' t ime Lumber and Fuel was up to 113 and soaring.Brewster, panic-str icken, rushed to the telephone and cal led upGardner.

The broker, hoarse with exci tement , was del ighted when herecognized Brewster 's voice.

"You're a wonder, Monty! I ' l l see you after the close. How thedevil did you do i t?" shouted Gardner.

"What 's the price now?" asked Brewster.

"One thir teen and three-fourths, and going up al l the t ime.Hooray!"



"Do you think she ' l l go down again?" demanded Brewster.

"Not i f I can help i t ."

"Very well , then, go and s el l out ," roared Brewster.

"But she 's going up l ike--"

"Sell , damn you! Didn't you hear?"

Gardner, dazed and weak, began sel l ing, and final ly l iquidated theful l l ine at prices ranging from 114 to 112 1/2, but MontgomeryBrewster had cleared $58,550, and al l because i t was he and notthe market that got exci ted.

CHAPTER XI

COALS OF FIRE

It was not that he had real ized heavily in his investments whichcaused his fr iends and his enemies to regard him in a new l ight;his profi t had been quite small , as things go on the Exchange inthese days. The mere fact that he had shown such foresight provedsufficient cause for the reversal of opinion. Men looked at himwith new interest in their eyes, with fresh confidence. Hisunfortunate operat ions in the stock market had restored him tofavor in al l c ircles. The man, young or old, who could do what hehad done with Lumber and Fuel well deserved the new promises thatwere being made for him.

Brewster bobbed uncertainly between two emotions--elat ion and

distress. He had achieved two kinds of success--the desired andthe undesired. I t was but natural that he should feel proud of thedist inct ion the venture had brought to him on one hand, but therewas reason for despair over the acquisi t ion of $50,000. I t made i tnecessary for him to undertake an almost superhuman feat-- increasethe number of his January bi l ls . The plans for the ensuing springand summer were dimly get t ing into shape and they covered many



start l ing projects. Since confiding some of them to "Nopper"Harrison, that gentleman had worn a never-decreasing look of worryand anxiety in his eyes.

Rawles added to his despair a day or two after the Stock Exchangemisfortune. He brought up the information that six splendid l i t t le

puppies had come to bless his Boston terrier family, and JoeBragdon, who was present , enthusiast ical ly predicted that he couldget $100 apiece for them. Brewster loved dogs, yet for one singlehorrible moment he longed to massacre the helpless l i t t lecreatures. But the old affect ion came back to him, and he hurriedout with Bragdon to inspect the brood.

"And I 've ei ther got to sel l them or ki l l them," he groaned. Later on he instructed Bragdon to sel l the pups for $25 apiece, and wentaway, ashamed to look their proud mother in the face.

Fortune smiled on him before the day was over, however. He took "Subway" Smith for a r ide in the "Green Juggernaut ," bad weather and bad roads notwithstanding. Monty lost control of the machineand headed for a subway excavation. He and Smith saved themselves by leaping to the pavement, sustaining slight bruises, but thegreat machine crashed through the barricade and dropped to the bottom of the t rench far below. To Smith 's grief and Brewster 'sdel ight the automobile was hopelessly ruined, a clear loss of manythousands. Monty's joy was short- l ived, for i t was soon learnedthat three luckless workmen down in the depths had been badlyinjured by the green meteor from above. The mere fact thatBrewster could and did pay l iberal ly for the rel ief of the poor fel lows afforded him l i t t le consolat ion. His carelessness, and possibly his indifference, had brought suffering to these men andtheir famil ies which was not pleasant to look back upon. Lawsuitswere avoided by compromises. Each of the injured men received$4,000.

At this t ime every one was interested in the chari ty bazaar at theAstoria . Society was on exhibi t ion, and the public paid for the

privi lege of gazing at the men and women whose names fil led thesociety columns. Brewster frequented the booth presided over byMiss Drew, and there seemed to be no end to his phi lanthropy. The bazaar lasted two days and nights, and after that period hisaccount-book showed an even "profi t" of nearly $3,000. Monty'sserenity, however, was considerably ruffled by the appearance of anew and aggressive claimant for the smiles of the fair Barbara. He



was a Californian of immense wealth and unbounded confidence inhimself , and let ters to people in New York had given him a certainentree. The tr iumphs in love and finance that had come with histwo score years and ten had demolished every vest ige of t imidi tythat may have been born with him. He was successful enough in theworld of f inance to have become four or f ive t imes a mil l ionaire,

and he had fared so well in love that twice he had been a widower.Rodney Grimes was start ing out to win Barbara with the same dashand impulsiveness that overcame Mary Farrel l , the cook in themining-camp, and Jane Boothroyd, the school-teacher, who came toCalifornia ready to marry the f i rst man who asked her. He was a penniless prospector when he married Mary, and when he led Jane tothe al tar she rejoiced in having captured a husband worth at least$50,000.

He vied with Brewster in patronizing Barbara 's booth, and he

rushed into the confl ict with an impetuosi ty that seemed dest inedto carry everything before i t . Monty was brushed aside, Barbarawas preempted as i f she were a mining claim and ten days after hisarrival in New York, Grimes was the most talked-of man in town.Brewster was not the sort to be dispatched without a struggle,however. Recognizing Grimes as an obstacle, but not as a r ival , heonce more donned his armor and beset Barbara with al l the zest of a champion who seeks to protect and not to conquer. He regardedthe Californian as an impostor and summary act ion was necessary."I know al l about him, Babs," he said one day after he fel t sureof his posi t ion. "Why, his father was honored by the V. C, on thecoast in '49."

"The Victoria Cross?" asked Barbara, innocently.

"No, the vigi lance committee."

In this way Monty routed the enemy and cleared the f ield beforethe end of another week. Grimes transferred his object ionableaffect ion and Barbara was not even asked to be wife number three.Brewster 's campaign was so ardent that he neglected other duties

deplorably, fal l ing far behind his improvident average. WithGrimes disposed of, he once more forsook the bat t lefield of loveand gave his harassed and undivided at tent ion to his own peculiar business.

The fast-and-loose game displeased Miss Barbara great ly. She wasat f i rst surprised, then piqued, then resentful . Monty gradually



awoke to the distressing fact that she was going to beintractable, as he put i t , and forthwith undertook to smooth thetroubled sea. To his amazement and concern she was not to beappeased.

"Does i t occur to you, Monty," she said, with a gentle coldness

that was infini tely worse than heat , "that you have been carryingthings with a pret ty high hand? Where did you acquire the r ight tointerfere with my privi leges? You seem to think that I am not tospeak to any man but you."

"O, come now, Babs," retorted Monty, "I 've not been quite asunreasonable as that . And you know yourself that Grimes is theworst kind of a bounder."

"I know nothing of the sort ," repl ied the lady, with growing

irri tat ion. "You say that about every man who gives me a smile or a f lower. Does i t indicate such atrocious taste?"

"Don't be si l ly, Barbara. You know perfect ly well that you havetalked to Gardner and that idiot Valentine by the hour, and I 'venot said a word. But there are some things I can' t stand, and theimpert inence of Grimes is one of them. Jove! he looked at you, outof those f ishy eyes, sometimes as though he owned you. If you knewhow many t imes I 've fair ly ached to knock him down!"

Inwardly Barbara was weakening a l i t t le before his masterfulness.But she gave no sign.

"And i t never occurred to you," she said, with that exasperat ingcoldness of the voice, "that I was equal to the si tuat ion. Isuppose you thought Mr. Grimes had only to beckon and I would joyfully answer. I ' l l have you know, Monty Brewster, r ight now,that I am quite able to choose my friends, and to handle them. Mr.Grimes has character and I l ike him. He has seen more of l i fe in ayear of his strenuous career than you ever dreamed of in al l your pampered existence. His l ife has been real , Monty Brewster, and

yours is only an imitat ion."

It st ruck him hard, but i t left him gentle .

"Babs," he said, soft ly, "I can' t take that from you. You don'treal ly mean i t , do you? Am I as bad as that?"



I t was a moment for dominance, and he missed i t . His gentlenessleft her cold.

"Monty," she exclaimed irr i tably, "you are terribly exasperat ing.Do make up your mind that you and your mil l ion are not the onlythings in the world."

His blood was up now, but i t f lung him away from her.

"Some day, perhaps, you'l l f ind out that there is not much besides . I am just a l i t t le too big, for one thing, to be playedwith and thrown aside. I won't stand i t ."

He left the house with his head high in the air , angry red in hischeeks, and a feel ing in his heart that she was the mostunreasonable of women. Barbara, in the meantime, cried herself to

sleep, vowing she would never love Monty Brewster again as long asshe l ived.

A sharp cut t ing wind was blowing in Monty's face as he left thehouse. He was thoroughly wretched.

"Throw up your hands!" came hoarsely from somewhere, and there wasno tenderness in the tones. For an instant Monty was dazed and bewildered, but in the next he saw two shadowy figures walking beside him. "Stop where you are, young fel low," was the nextcommand, and he stopped short . He was in a mood to f ight , but thesight of a revolver made him think again. Monty was not a coward,nei ther was he a fool . He was quick to see that a struggle would be madness.

"What do you want?" he demanded as coolly as his nerves would permit.

"Put up your hands quick!" and he hast i ly obeyed the injunct ion.

"Not a sound out of you or you get i t good and proper. You know

what we want . Get to work, Bil l ; I ' l l watch his hands."

"Help yourselves, boys. I 'm not fool enough to scrap about i t .Don't hi t me or shoot , that 's al l . Be quick about i t , because I ' l ltake cold i f my overcoat is open long. How's business been to-night?" Brewster was to al l intents and purposes the calmest manin New York.



"Fierce!" said the one who was doing the searching. "You're thefirst guy we've seen in a week that looks good."

"I hope you won't be disappointed," said Monty, genial ly. "If I 'dexpected this I might have brought more money."

"I guess we'l l be sat isfied," chuckled the man with the revolver."You're awful nice and kind, mister , and maybe you wouldn't objectto tel l in ' us when you'l l be up dis way ag' in."

"It 's a pleasure to do business with you, pardner," said theother, dropping Monty's $300 watch in his. pocket . "We'l l leavecar-fare for you for your honesty." His hands were running throughBrewster 's pockets with the quickness of a machine. "You don't gomuch on jewelry, I guess. Are dese shoit but tons de real t ' ing?"

"They're pearls," said Monty, cheerful ly.

"My favori te jool ," said the man with the revolver. "Clip 'em out ,Bil l ."

"Don't cut the shirt ," urged Monty. "I 'm going to a l i t t le supper and I don't l ike the idea of a punctured shirt-front ."

"I ' l l be as careful as I kin, mister . There, I guess dat 's al l .Shal l I cal l a cab for you, sir?"

"No, thank you, I think I ' l l walk."

"Well , just walk south a hundred steps without lookin' ' round er yel l in ' and you kin save your skin. I guess you know what I mean, pardner."

"I 'm sure I do. Good-night ."

"Good-night ," came in chuckles from the two hold-up men. But

Brewster hesi tated, a sharp thought penetrat ing his mind.

"By gad!" he exclaimed, "you chaps are very careless. Do you knowyou've missed a rol l of three hundred dollars in this overcoat pocket?" The men gasped and the spasmodic oaths that came fromthem were born of increduli ty. I t was plain that they doubtedtheir ears.



"Say i t ag ' in," muttered Bil l , in bewildered tones.

"He's str ingin' us, Bil l ," said the other.

"Sure," growled Bil l . "I t 's a nice way to t reat us, mister . Move

along now and don't turn ' round."

"Well , you're a couple of nice highwaymen," cried Monty indisgust .

"Sh--not so loud."

"That is no way to at tend to business. Do you expect me to go downin my pocket and hand you the goods on a si lver t ray?"

"Keep your hands up! You don't woik dat game on me. You got a gunthere."

"No, I haven't . This is on the level . You over-looked a rol l of bi lls in your haste and I 'm not the sort of fellow to see anearnest endeavorer get the worst of i t . My hands are up. See for yourself i f I 'm not tel l ing you the t ruth."

"What kind of game is dis?" growled Bil l , dazed and bewildered."I 'm blowed if I know w'at to t ' ink o ' you," cried he in honestamazement. "You don't act drunk, and you ain ' t crazy, but there 'ssomethin' wrong wid you. Are you givin ' i t to us straight about dewad?"

"You can find out easi ly."

"Well , I hate to do i t , boss, but I guess we'l l just take deovercoat and al l . I t looks l ike a t r ick and we takes no chances.Off wid de coat ."

Monty's coat came off in a j i ffy and he stood shivering before the

dumfounded robbers.

"We'l l leave de coat at de next corner, pardner. I t 's cold and youneed i t more 'n we do. You're de l imit , you are. So long. Walk right straight ahead and don't yel l ."

Brewster found his coat a few minutes later , and went whist l ing



away into the night . The rol l of bi l ls was gone.

CHAPTER XII

CHRISTMAS DESPAIR

Brewster made a good story of the "hold-up" at the club, but hedid not relate al l the detai ls. One of the l isteners was a new public commissioner who was aggressive in his efforts at reform.Accordingly Brewster was summoned to headquarters the next morningfor the purpose of looking over the "suspects" that had been

brought in. Almost the fi rst man that he espied was a rough-looking fel low whose identi ty could not be mistaken. I t was Bil l .

"Hello, Bil l ," cal led Monty, gai ly. Bil l ground his teeth for asecond, but his eyes had such an appeal in them that Montyrelented.

"You know this fel low, Mr. Brewster?" demanded the captain,quickly. Bil l looked ut terly helpless.

"Know Bil l?" quest ioned Monty in surprise. "Of course I do,Captain."

"He was picked up late last night and detained, because he wouldgive no account of his act ions."

"Was i t as bad as that , Bil l?" asked Brewster, with a smile. Bil lmumbled something and assumed a look of defiance. Monty's at t i tude puzzled him sorely. He hardly breathed for an instant, and gulped perceptibly.

"Pass Bil l , Captain. He was with me last night just before mymoney was taken, and he couldn't possibly have robbed me withoutmy knowledge. Wait for me outside, Bil l . I want to talk to you.I 'm quite sure nei ther of the thieves is here, Captain," concludedBrewster, after Bil l had obeyed the order to step out of the l ine.

Outside the door the puzzled crook met Brewster, who shook him



warmly by the hand.

"You're a peach," whispered Bil l , grateful ly "What did you do i tfor, mister?"

"Because you were kind enough not to cut my shirt ."

"Say, you're al l r ight , that 's what . Would you mind havin' a drink with me? It 's your money, but the drink won't be any the worse for that . We blowed most of i t a lready, but here 's what 's left ." Bil lhanded Monty a rol l of bi l ls .

"I 'd a kept i t i f you'd made a f ight ," he continued, "but i t a in ' tsquare to keep i t now."

Brewster refused the money, but took back his watch.

"Keep i t , Bil l ," he said, "you need i t more than I do. I t 's enoughto set you up in some other t rade. Why not t ry i t?"

"I wil l t ry, boss," and Bil l was so profuse in his thanks thatMonty had diff icul ty in get t ing away; As he cl imbed into a cab heheard Bil l say, "I wil l t ry, boss, and say, i f ever I can doanything for you jes ' put me nex' . I 'm nex' you al l de t ime."

He gave the driver the name of his club, but as he was passing theWaldorf he remembered that he had several things to say to Mrs.Dan. The order was changed, and a few moments later he wasreceived in Mrs. Dan's very special den. She wore something softand graceful in lavender, something that was l ight and wavy andevanescent , and made you watch i ts changing shadows. Monty lookeddown at her with the feel ing that she made a very effect ive picture.

"You are looking pret ty f i t this morning, my lady," he said by wayof preamble. "How well everything plays up to you."

"And you are unusually court ly, Monty," she smiled. "Has the worldtreated you so generously of late?"

"It is t reat ing me generously enough just now to make up for anything," and he looked at her. "Do you know, Mrs. Dan, that i tis borne in upon me now and then that there are things that arequite worth while?"



"Oh, i f you come to that ," she answered, l ight ly, "everything isworth while . For you, Monty, l i fe is certainly not slow. You candominate; you can make things go your way. Aren' t they going your way now, Monty"--this more seriously--"What 's wrong? Is the pacetoo fast?"

His mood increased upon him with her sympathy. "Oh, no," he said,"i t isn ' t that . You are good--and I 'm a self ish beast . Things are perverse and people are desperately obst inate sometimes. And hereI am taking i t out on you. You are not perverse. You are notobst inate. You are a r ipper, Mrs. Dan, and you are going to helpme out in more ways than one."

"Well , to pay for al l these gal lantries, Monty, I ought to domuch. I 'm your fr iend through thick and thin. You have only to

command me."

"It was precisely to get your help that I came in. I 'm t i red of those confounded dinners. You know yourself that they are al lal ike--the same people, the same flowers, the same things to eat ,and the same inane twaddle in the shape of talk. Who cares aboutthem anyway?"

"Well , I l ike that ," she interrupted. "After al l the thought I putinto those dinners, after al l the variety I so careful ly secured!My dear boy, you are fr ightful ly ungrateful ."

"Oh, you know what I mean. And you know quite as well as I do thati t is perfect ly t rue. The dinners were a beast ly bore, which proves that they were a loud success. Your work was not done invain. But now I want something else. We must push along the bal lwe've been talking of. And the yachting cruise--that can' t waitvery much longer."

"The bal l f i rst ," she decreed. "I ' l l see to the cards at once, andin a day or two I ' l l have a l ist ready for your gracious approval .

And what have you done?"

"Pett ingi l l has some great ideas for doing over Sherry's. Harrisonis in communicat ion with the manager of that Hungarian orchestrayou spoke of, and he f inds the men quite ready for a l i t t le jauntacross the water. We have that mil i tary band--I 've forgotten thenumber of i ts regiment--for the promenade music, and the new Paris



sensat ion, the contral to, is coming over with her primo tenore for some special numbers."

"You were certainly cut out for an executive, Monty," said Mrs.Dan. "But with the music and the decorat ions arranged, you've only begun. The favors are the real thing, and if you say the word,

we'l l surprise them a l i t t le . Don't worry about i t , Monty. I t 's ago already. We'l l pul l i t off together."

"You are a thoroughbred, Mrs. Dan," he exclaimed. "You do help afel low at a pinch."

"That 's al l r ight , Monty," she answered; "give me unti l after Christmas and I ' l l have the f inest favors ever seen. Other peoplemay have their paper hats and pink ribbons, but you can show themhow the thing ought to be done."

Her reference to Christmas haunted Brewster, as he drove downFifth Avenue, with the dread of a new disaster . Never before hadhe looked upon presents as a calamity; but this year i t wasdifferent . Immediately he began to plan a bombardment of hisfriends with cost ly t r inkets, when he grew suddenly doubtful of the opinion of his uncle 's executor upon this move. But inresponse to a telegram, Swearengen Jones, with pleasingirascibi l i ty, informed him that "anyone with a drop of humankindness in his body would consider i t his duty to give Christmas presents to those who deserved them." Monty's way was now clear.If his fr iends meant to handicap him with gifts, he knew a way toget even. For two weeks his mornings were spent at Tiffany's, andthe afternoons brought joy to the heart of every dealer inantiquit ies in Fourth and Fifth Avenues. He gave much thought tothe matter in the effort to secure many small art icles whichelaborately concealed their value. And he had taste . The resul t of his endeavor was that many friends who would not have thought of remembering Monty with even a card were pleasantly surprised onChristmas Eve.

As i t turned out , he fared very well in the matter of gif ts, andfor some days much of his t ime was spent in reading notes of profuse thanks, which were yet vaguely apologetic . The Grays andMrs. Dan had remembered him with an agreeable lack of ostentat ion,and some of the "Lit t le Sons of the Rich," who had kept oneevening a fortnight open for the purpose of "using up their meal-t ickets" at Monty's, were only too generously grateful . Miss Drew



had forgotten him, and when they met after the holiday her recognit ion was of the coldest . He had thought that , under thecircumstances, he could send her a gif t of value, but the beautiful pearls with which he asked for a reconcil iation werereturned with "Miss Drew's thanks." He loved Barbara sincerely,and i t cut . Peggy Gray was taken into his confidence and he was

comforted by her encouragement. I t was a bi t diff icul t for her toadvise him to t ry again, but his happiness was a thing she had atheart .

"It 's beast ly unfair , Peggy," he said. "I 've real ly been white toher. I bel ieve I ' l l chuck the whole business and leave New York."

"You're going away?" and there was just a suggest ion of a catch inher breath.

"I 'm going to charter a yacht and sai l away from this place for three or four months." Peggy fair ly gasped. "What do you think of the scheme?" he added, not icing the alarm and increduli ty in her eyes.

"I think you'l l end in the poor-house, Montgomery Brewster," shesaid, with a laugh.

CHAPTER XIII

A FRIEND IN NEED

It was while Brewster was in the depths of despair that hisfinancial affairs had a windfal l . One of the banks in which hismoney was deposi ted fai led and his balance of over $100,000 waswiped out . Mismanagement was the cause and the col lapse came on

Friday, the thir teenth day of the month. Needless to say, i tdestroyed every vest ige of the superst i t ion he may have hadregarding Friday and the number thir teen.

Brewster had money deposi ted in f ive banks, a t ransact ion inspired by the wild hope that one of them might some day suspendoperat ions and thereby prove a legi t imate benefi t to him. There



seemed no prospect that the bank could resume operat ions, and if the deposi tors in the end real ized twenty cents on the dollar theywould be fortunate. Notwithstanding the fact that everybody hadconsidered the inst i tut ion substant ial there were not a fewwiseacres who cal led Brewster a fool and were so unreasonable asto say that he did not know how to handle money. He heard that

Miss Drew, in part icular , was bi t terly sarcast ic in referring tohis stupidi ty.

This fai lure caused a t remendous flurry in banking circles. I t was but natural that quest ions concerning the s tabi lity of other banksshould be asked, and i t was not long before many wild, disquiet ingreports were afloat . Anxious deposi tors rushed into the big banking inst itut ions and then rushed out again, part ial ly assuredthat there was no danger. The newspapers sought to al lay the fearsof the people, but there were many to whom fear became panic.

There were short , wild runs on some of the smaller banks, but al lwere in a fair way to restore confidence when out came the rumor that the Bank of Manhattan Island was in t rouble. Colonel PrentissDrew, rai l road magnate, was the president of this bank.

When the bank opened for business on the Tuesday fol lowing thefai lure, there was a stampede of fr ightened deposi tors. Beforeeleven o 'clock the run had assumed ugly proport ions and no amountof argument could stay the onslaught . Colonel Drew and thedirectors, a t f i rst mildly distressed, and then seeing that theaffair had become serious, grew more alarmed than they couldafford to let the public see. The loans of al l the banks wereunusually large. Incipient runs on some had put al l of them in anat t i tude of caution, and there was a natural reluctance to exposetheir own interests to jeopardy by coming to the rel ief of theBank of Manhattan Island.

Monty Brewster had something l ike $200,000 in Colonel Drew's bank.He would not have regret ted on his own account the col lapse of this inst i tut ion, but he real ized what i t meant to the hundreds of other deposi tors, and for the f i rst t ime he appreciated what his

money could accomplish. Thinking that his presence might giveconfidence to the other deposi tors and stop the run he went over to the bank with Harrison and Bragdon. The tel lers were handingout thousands of dollars to the eager deposi tors. His fr iendsadvised him strongly to withdraw before i t was too late , but Montywas obdurate. They set i t down to his desire to help Barbara 'sfather and admired his nerve.



"I understand, Monty," said Bragdon, and both he and Harrison wentamong the people carelessly asking one another i f Brewster hadcome to withdraw his money. "No, he has over $200,000, and he 'sgoing to leave i t ," the other would say.

Each exci ted group was visi ted in turn by the two men, but their assurance seemed to accomplish but l i t t le . These men and womenwere there to save their fortunes; the si tuat ion was desperate.

Colonel Drew, outwardly calm and serene, but inwardly perturbed,final ly saw Brewster and his companions. He sent a messenger over with the request that Monty come to the president 's private officeat once.

"He wants to help you to save your money," cried Bragdon in low

tones. "That shows i t 's a l l up."

"Get out every dollar of i t , Monty, and don't waste a minute. I t 'sa smash as sure as fate ," urged Harrison, a feverish expression inhis eyes.

Brewster was admit ted to the Colonel 's private office. Drew wasalone and was pacing the f loor l ike a caged animal.

"Sit down, Brewster, and don't mind if I seem nervous. Of coursewe can hold out , but i t is terrible--terrible . They think we aretrying to rob them. They're mad--ut terly mad."

"I never saw anything l ike i t , Colonel . Are you sure you can meetal l the demands?" asked Brewster, thoroughly exci ted. TheColonel 's face was white and he chewed his cigar nervously.

"We can hold out unless some of our heaviest deposi tors get thefever and swoop down upon us. I appreciate your feel ings in anaffair of this kind, coming so swift ly upon the heels of theother, but I want to give you my personal assurance that the money

you have here is safe. I cal led you in to impress you with thesecuri ty of the bank. You ought to know the truth, however, and Iwil l te l l you in confidence that another check l ike Aust in 's ,which we paid a few minutes ago, would cause us serious, thoughtemporary, embarrassment."

"I came to assure you that I have not thought of withdrawing my



deposi ts from this bank, Colonel . You need have no uneasiness--"

The door opened suddenly and one of the officials of the bank bolted inside, his face as white as death. He started to speak before he saw Brewster, and then closed his l ips despairingly.

"What is i t , Mr. Moore?" asked Drew, as calmly as possible. "Don'tmind Mr. Brewster."

"Oglethorp wants to draw two hundred and fif ty thousand dollars,"said Moore in strained tones.

"Well , he can have i t , can' t he?" asked the Colonel quiet ly. Moorelooked helplessly at the president of the bank, and his si lencespoke more plainly than words.

"Brewster, i t looks bad," said the Colonel , turning abruptly tothe young man. The other banks are afraid of a run and we can' tcount on much help from them. Some of them have helped us andothers have refused. Now, I not only ask you to refrain fromdrawing out your deposi t , but I want you to help us in thiscrucial moment." The Colonel looked twenty years older and hisvoice shook perceptibly. Brewster 's pi ty went out to him in aflash.

"What can I do, Colonel Drew?" he cried. "I ' l l not take my moneyout , but I don't know how I can be of further assistance to you.Command me, sir ."

"You can restore absolute confidence, Monty, my dear boy, byincreasing your deposi ts in our bank," said the Colonel slowly,and as i f dreading the fate of the suggest ion.

"You mean, sir , that I can save the bank by drawing my money fromother banks and putt ing i t here?" asked Monty, slowly. He wasthinking harder and faster than he had ever thought in his l i fe .Could he afford to r isk the loss of his ent ire fortune on the fate

of this bank? What would Swearengen Jones say if he del iberatelydeposi ted a vast amount of money in a tot tering inst i tut ion l ikethe Bank of Manhattan Island? It would be the maddest fol ly on his part i f the bank went down. There could be no mit igatingcircumstances in the eyes of ei ther Jones or the world, i f heswamped al l of his money in this crisis.



"I beg of you, Monty, help us." The Colonel 's pride was gone. "Itmeans disgrace if we close our doors even for an hour; i t means astain that only years can remove. You can restore confidence by adozen strokes of your pen, and you can save us."

He was Barbara 's father. The proud old man was before him as a

suppliant , no longer the cold man of the world. Back to Brewster 'smind came the thought of his quarrel with Barbara and of her heart lessness. A scratch of the pen, one way or the other, couldchange the l i fe of Barbara Drew. The two bankers stood by scarcely breathing. From the outs ide came the shuffle of many feet and themuffled rol l of voices. Again the door to the private officeopened and a clerk exci tedly motioned for Mr. Moore to hurry tothe front of the bank. Moore paused irresolutely, his eyes onBrewster 's face. The young man knew the t ime had come when he musthelp or deny them.

Like a f lash the si tuat ion was made clear to him and his duty was plain. He remembered that the Bank of Manhattan Island held everydollar that Mrs. Gray and Peggy possessed; their meager fortunehad been entrusted to the care of Prentiss Drew and hisassociates, and i t was in danger.

"I wil l do al l I can, Colonel ," said Monty, "but upon onecondit ion."

"That is?"

"Barbara must never know of this." The Colonel 's gasp of astonishment was cut short as Monty continued. "Promise that sheshal l never know."

"I don't understand, but i f i t is your wish I promise."

Inside of half an hour 's t ime several hundred thousand came to therel ief of the struggling bank, and the man who had come to watchthe run with curious eyes turned out to be i ts savior. His money

won the day for the Bank of Manhattan Island. When the happy president and directors offered to pay him an astonishingly highrate of interest for the use of the money he proudly decl ined.

The next day Miss Drew issued invitat ions for a cot i l lon. Mr.Montgomery Brewster was not asked to at tend.



CHAPTER XIV

MRS. DE MILLE ENTERTAINS

Miss Drew's cot i l lon was not graced by the presence of MontgomeryBrewster. I t is t rue he received an eleventh-hour invi tat ion and avery cold and diff icul t l i t t le note of apology, but he maintainedheroical ly the air of disdain that had succeeded the f i rst sharp pangs of disappointment. Colonel Drew, in whose good graces Montyhad firmly establ ished himself , was not qui te guil t less of usurping the role of dictator in the effort to patch up a t ruce. A

few nights before the cot i l lon, when Barbara told him that HerbertAil ing was to lead, he explosively expressed surprise. "Why notMonty Brewster, Babs?" he demanded.

"Mr. Brewster is not coming," she responded, calmly.

"Going to be out of town?"

"I 'm sure I do not know," st i ff ly.

"What 's this?"

"He has not been asked, father." Miss Drew was not in good humor.

"Not asked?" said the Colonel in amazement. "It 's r idiculous,Babs, send him an invitat ion at once."

"This is my dance, father, and I don't want to ask Mr. Brewster."

The Colonel sank back in his chair and struggled to overcome hisanger. He knew that Barbara had inheri ted his wil l fulness, and had

long since discovered that i t was best to t reat her with tact .

"I thought you and he were--" but the Colonel 's supply of tact wasexhausted.

"We were"--in a moment of absent mindedness. "But i t 's a l l over,"said Barbara.



"Why, chi ld, there wouldn't have been a cot i l lon if i t hadn't beenfor--" but the Colonel remembered his promise to Monty and checkedhimself just in t ime. "I--I mean there wil l not be any party, i f Montgomery Brewster is not asked. That is al l I care to say on thesubject ," and he stamped out of the room.

Barbara wept copiously after her father had gone, but she real izedthat his wil l was law and that Monty must be invi ted. "I wil l sendan invitat ion," she said to herself , "but i f Mr. Brewster comesafter he has read i t , I shal l be surprised."

Montgomery, however, did not receive the note in the spiri t inwhich i t had been sent . He only saw in i t a ray of hope thatBarbara was relent ing and was jubilant at the prospect of areconcil iat ion. The next Sunday he sought an interview with Miss

Drew, but she received him with icy reserve. If he had thought to punish her by staying away, i t was evident that she fel t equallyresponsible for a great deal of misery on his part . Both had beenmore or less unhappy, and both were resentful ly obst inate.Brewster fel t hurt and insul ted, while she fel t that he hadimposed upon her disgraceful ly. He was now ready to cry quits andit surprised him to f ind her obdurate. If he had expected todictate the terms of peace he was woefully disappointed when shetreated his advances with cool contempt.

"Barbara, you know I care very much for you," he was pleading,fair ly on the road to submission. "I am sure you are not qui teindifferent to me. This foolish misunderstanding must real ly be asdisagreeable to you as i t is to me."

"Indeed," she repl ied, l i f t ing her brows disdainful ly. "You areassuming a good deal , Mr. Brewster."

"I am merely recal l ing the fact that you once told me you cared.You would not promise anything, I know, but i t meant much that youcared. A l i t t le difference could not have changed your feel ing

completely."

"When you are ready to t reat me with respect I may l isten to your peti t ion," she said, rising haughtily.

"My pet i t ion?" He did not l ike the word and his tact qui tedeserted him. "It 's as much yours as mine. Don't throw the burden



of responsibi l i ty on me, Miss Drew."

"Have I suggested going back to the old relat ions? You wil l pardonme if I remind you of the fact that you came to-day on your owninit iat ive and certainly without my sol ici tat ion."

"Now, look here, Barbara--" he began, dimly real izing that i t wasgoing to be hard, very hard, to reason.

"I am very sorry, Mr. Brewster, but you wil l have to excuse me. Iam going out ."

"I regret exceedingly that I should have disturbed you to-day,Miss Drew," he said, swallowing his pride. "Perhaps I may have the pleasure of seeing you again."

As he was leaving the house, deep anger in his soul , heencountered the Colonel . There was something about Monty'sgreet ing, cordial as i t was, that gave the older man a hint as tothe si tuat ion.

"Won't you stop for dinner, Monty?" he asked, in the hope that hissuspicion was groundless.

"Thank you, Colonel , not to-night ," and he was off before theColonel could hold him.

Barbara was tearful ly angry when her father came into the room, but as he began to remonstrate with her the tears disappeared andleft her at white heat.

"Frankly, father, you don't understand matters," she said withslow emphasis; "I wish you to know now that i f Montgomery Brewster cal ls again, I shal l not see him."

"If that is your point of view, Barbara, I wish you to know mine."The Colonel rose and stood over her, everything forgotten but the

rage that went so deep that i t left the surface calm. Throwingaside his promise to Brewster, he told Barbara with dramaticsimplici ty the story of the rescue of the bank. "You see," headded, "if i t had not been for that open-hearted boy we would now be ruined. Instead of giving coti llons, you might be giving musiclessons. Montgomery Brewster wil l a lways be welcome in this houseand you wil l see that my wishes are respected. Do you understand?"



"Perfect ly," Barbara answered in a st i l l voice. "As your fr iend Ishal l t ry to be civi l to him."

The Colonel was not sat isfied with so cold-blooded anacquiescence, but he wisely ret i red from the f ield. He left the

girl si lent and crushed, but with a gleam in her eyes that was notal together to be concealed. The story had touched her more deeplythan she would wil l ingly confess. I t was something to know thatMonty Brewster could do a thing l ike that , and would do i t for her. The exultant smile which i t brought to her l ips could only bemade to disappear by reminding herself sharply of his recentarrogance. Her anger, she found, was a plant which needed carefulcul t ivat ion.

It was in a somewhat chastened mood that she started a few days

later for a dinner at the DeMille 's . As she entered in her sweeping golden gown the sight of Monty Brewster at the other endof the room gave her a f lut ter at the heart . But i t was anagitat ion that was very careful ly concealed. Brewster wascertainly unconscious of i t . To him the posi t ion of guest was l ikea disguise and he was pleased at the prospect of let t ing himself go under the mask without responsibi l i ty. But i t took on adifferent color when the butler handed him a card which signifiedthat he was to take Miss Drew in to dinner. Hast i ly seeking outthe hostess he endeavored to convey to her the impossibi l i ty of the si tuat ion.

"I hope you won't misunderstand me," he said. "But is i t too lateto change my place at the table?"

"It isn ' t conventional , I know, Monty. Society 's chief aim is toseparate engaged couples at dinner," said Mrs. Dan with a laugh."It would be posi t ively compromising if a man and his wife sattogether."

Dinner was announced before Monty could ut ter another word, and as

she led him over to Barbara she said, "Behold a generous hostesswho gives up the best man in the crowd so that he and some oneelse may have a happy t ime. I leave i t to you, Barbara, i f thatisn ' t the test of fr iendship."

For a moment the two riveted their eyes on the f loor. Then thehumor of the si tuat ion came to Monty.



"I did not know that we were supposed to do Gibson tableaux to-night ," he said dri ly as he proffered his arm.

"I don't understand," and Barbara 's curiosi ty overcame her determination not to speak.

"Don't you remember the picture of the man who was cal led upon totake his late f iancee out to dinner?"

The awful si lence with which this remark was received put an endto further efforts at humor.

The dinner was probably the most painful experience in their l ives. Barbara had come to i t softened and ready to meet him half way. The right kind of humil i ty in Monty would have found her

plast ic . But she had very defini te and rigid ideas of his duty inthe premises. And Monty was too simple minded to seem to suffer ,and much too fl ippant to understand. I t was plain to each that theother did not expect to talk, but they both real ized that theyowed a duty to appearances and to their hostess. Through twocourses, at least , there was dead si lence between them. I t seemedas though every eye in the room were on them and every mind werespeculat ing. At last , in sheer desperat ion, Barbara turned to himwith the f i rst smile he had seen on her face in days. There was nosmile in her eyes, however, and Monty understood.

"We might at least give out the impression that we are fr iends,"she said quiet ly.

"More easi ly said than done," he responded gloomily.

"They are al l looking at us and wondering."

"I don't blame them."

"We owe something to Mrs. Dan, I think."

"I know."

Barbara ut tered some inanity whenever she caught any one lookingin their direct ion, but Brewster seemed not to hear. At length hecut short some remark of hers about the weather.



"What nonsense this is , Barbara," he said. "With any one else Iwould chuck the whole game, but with you i t is different . I don'tknow what I have done, but I am sorry. I hope you'l l forgive me."

"Your assurance is amusing, to say the least ."

"But I am sure. I know this quarrel is something we'l l laugh over.You keep forget t ing that we are going to be married some day."

A new l ight came into Barbara 's eyes. "You forget that my consentmay be necessary," she said.

"You wil l be perfect ly wil l ing when the t ime comes. I am st i l l inthe f ight and eventual ly you wil l come to my way of thinking."

"Oh! I see i t now," said Barbara, and her blood was up. "You mean

to force me to i t . What you did for father--"

Brewster glowered at her, thinking that he had misunderstood."What do you mean?" he said.

"He has told me al l about that wretched bank business. But poor father thought you quite disinterested. He did not see the l i t t legame behind your melodrama. He would have torn up your check onthe instant i f he had suspected you were t rying to buy hisdaughter."

"Does your father bel ieve that?" asked Brewster.

"No, but I see i t a l l now. His persistence and yours--you were notslow to grasp the opportunity offered."

"Stop, Miss Drew," Monty commanded. His voice had changed and shehad never before seen that look in his eyes. "You need have nofear that I wil l t rouble you again."

CHAPTER XV

THE CUT DIRECT



A typographical error in one of the papers caused no end of amusement to every one except Monty and Miss Drew. The headlineshad announced "Magnificent bal l to be given Miss Drew by her Finance," and the "Lit t le Sons of the Rich" wondered why Monty didnot see the humor of i t .

"He has too bad an at tack to see anything but the lady," saidHarrison one evening when the "Sons" were gathered for an old-t imesupper party.

"It 's a lways the way," commented the philosophical Bragdon, "Whenyou lose your heart your sense of humor goes too. Engaged couplescouldn't do such ridiculous stunts i f they had the least part icleof i t left ."

"Well , i f Monty Brewster is st i l l in love with Miss Drew he takesa mighty poor way of showing i t ." "Subway" Smith 's remark fel ll ike a bombshell . The thought had come to every one, but no onehad been given the courage to ut ter i t . For them Brewster 'ssi lence on the subject since the DeMille dinner seemed to havesomething ominous behind i t .

"I t 's probably only a lovers ' quarrel ," said Bragdon. But further comment was cut short by the entrance of Monty himself , and theytook their places at the table.

Before the evening came to an end they were in possession of manyastonishing detai ls in connection with the coming bal l . Monty didnot say that i t was to be given for Miss Drew and her name wasconspicuously absent from his descript ions. As he unfolded his plans even the "Litt le Sons," who were imaginat ive by instinct andreckless on principle, could not be quite acquiescent .

"Nopper" Harrison solemnly expressed the opinion that the bal lwould cost Brewster at least $125,000. The "Lit t le Sons" looked atone another in consternat ion, while Brewster 's indifference

expressed i tself in an unflat tering comment upon his fr iend'svulgari ty. "Good Lord, Nopper," he added, "you would speculateabout the price of gloves for your wedding."

Harrison resented the taunt . "I t would be much less vulgar to dothat , Monty, saving your presence, than to force your mil l ionsdown every one 's throat ."



"Well , they swallow them, I 've noticed," retorted Brewster, "asthough they were chocolates."

Pet t ingi l l interrupted grandiloquently. "My friends andgentlemen!"

"Which is which?" asked Van Winkle, casual ly.

But the art ist was in the saddle. "Permit me to present to you the boy Croesus--the only one extant. His marbles are plunks and hiski tes are made of f i f ty-dollar notes. He feeds upon coupons a la Newburgh, and his champagne is l iquid golden eagles . Look at him,gentlemen, while you can, and watch him while he s pends thir teenthousand dollars for f lowers!"

"With a Viennese orchestra for twenty-nine thousand!" addedBragdon. "And yet they maintain that si lence is golden."

"And three singers to divide twelve thousand among themselves!That 's absolutely criminal ," cried Van Winkle. "Over in Germanythey'd sing a month for half that amount."

"Six hundred guests to feed--total cost of not less than fortythousand dollars," groaned "Nopper," doleful ly.

"And there aren' t six hundred in town," lamented "Subway" Smith."All that glory wasted on two hundred rank outsiders."

"You men are borrowing a lot of t rouble," yawned Brewster, with agal lant effort to seem bored. "All I ask of you is to come to the party and put up a good imitat ion of having the time of your l ife .Between you and me I 'd rather be caught at Huyler 's drinking icecream soda than giving this thing. But--"

"That 's what we want to know, but what?" and "Subway" leanedforward eagerly.

"But," continued Monty, "I 'm in for i t now, and i t is going to bea bal l that is a bal l ."

Nevertheless the optimistic Brewster could not find the courage totel l Peggy of these picturesque extravagances. To sat isfy her curiosi ty he blandly informed her that he was get t ing off much



more cheaply than he had expected. He laughingly denounced asuntrue the stories that had come to her from outside sources. And before his convincing assertions that reports were r idiculouslyexaggerated, the t roubled expression in the girl 's eyesdisappeared.

"I must seem a fool ," groaned Monty, as he left the house after one of these explanatory tr ials, "but what wil l she think of metoward the end of the year when I am real ly in harness?" He foundit hard to control the desire to be straight with Peggy and tel lher the story of his mad race in pursui t of poverty.

Preparat ions for the bal l went on steadily, and in a dull winter i t had i ts color value for society. I t was to be a Spanishcostume-ball , and at many tea-tables the talk of i t was a god-send. Sarcast ic as i t frequently was on the quest ion of Monty's

extravagance, there was a splendor about the Aladdin-l ikeentertainment which had a charm. Beneath the outward disapprovalthere was a secret admirat ion of the superb nerve of the man. Andthere was l i t t le reluctance to help him in the wild career he hadchosen. I t was so easy to go with him to the edge of the precipiceand let him take the plunge alone. Only the echo of the cri t icismreached Brewster, for he had si lenced Harrison with work andPett ingi l l with opportunit ies. I t t roubled him l i t t le , as he wasengaged in jot t ing down i tems that swelled the profi t side of hisledger account enormously. The bal l was bound to give him a goodlead in the race once more, despi te the heavy handicap the Stock Exchange had imposed. The "Lit t le Sons" took off their coats andhelped Pet t ingi l l in the work of preparat ion. He found them quitesuperfluous, for their ideas never agreed and each man had a wayof preferring his own suggest ion. To Brewster 's chagrin they wereunited in the effort to curb his extravagance.

"He'l l be giving automobiles and ropes of pearls for favors i f wedon't stop him," said "Subway" Smith, after Monty had ordered avintage champagne to be served during the ent ire evening. "Givethem two glasses f i rst , i f you l ike, and then they won't mind if

they have cider the rest of the night ."

"Monty is plain dotty," chimed Bragdon, "and the pace is beginningto tel l on him."

As a matter of fact the pace was beginning to tel l on Brewster.Work and worry were plainly having an effect on his heal th. His



color was bad, his eyes were losing their lustre , and there was al ist lessness in his act ions that even determined effort could notconceal from his fr iends. Li t t le f i ts of fever annoyed himoccasionally and he admit ted that he did not feel qui te r ight .

"Something is wrong somewhere," he said, rueful ly, "and my whole

system seems ready to stop work through sympathy."

Suddenly there was a mighty check to the preparat ions. Two days before the date set for the bal l everything came to a standst il land the managers sank back in perplexi ty and consternat ion. MontyBrewster was cri t ical ly i l l .

Appendici t is , the doctors cal led i t , and an operat ion wasimperat ive.

"Thank heaven i t 's fashionable," laughed Monty, who showed no fear of the prospect . "How ridiculous i f i t had been the mumps, or i f the newspapers had said, 'On account of the whooping-cough, Mr.Brewster did not at tend his bal l . '"

"You don't mean to say--the bal l is off , of course," and Harrisonwas real ly alarmed.

"Not a bi t of i t , Nopper," said Monty. "It 's what I 've beenwanting al l a long. You chaps do the handshaking and I stay athome."

There was an immediate council of war when this piece of news wasannounced, and the "Lit t le Sons" were unanimous in favor of recal l ing the invi tat ions and declaring the party off . At f i rstMonty was obdurate, but when some one suggested that he could givethe bal l la ter on, after he was well , he relented. The opportunityto double the cost by giving two part ies was not to be ignored.

"Call i t off , then, but say i t is only postponed."

A great rushing to and fro resul ted in the cancel l ing of contracts, the recal l ing of invi tat ions, the set t l ing of accounts,with the most loyal effort to save as much as possible from thewreckage. Harrison and his associates, a lmost frant ic with fear for Brewster 's l i fe , managed to perform wonders in the few hoursof grace. Gardner, with rare foresight , saw that the Vienneseorchestra would prove a dead loss. He suggested the possibi l i ty of



a concert tour through the country, covering several weeks, andMonty, too i l l to care one way or the other, authorized him tocarry out the plan if i t seemed feasible.

To Monty, fearless and less disturbed than any other member of hiscircle , appendici t is seemed as inevitable as vaccinat ion.

"The appendix is becoming an important feature in the Book of Life," he once told Peggy Gray.

He refused to go to a hospital , but pathet ical ly begged to betaken to his old rooms at Mrs. Gray's.

With al l the unhappy lonel iness of a sick boy, he craved the careand companionship of those who seemed a part of his own. Dr.Lotless had them transform a small bedchamber into a model

operat ing room and Monty took no small sat isfact ion in the thoughtthat i f he was to be denied the privi lege of spending money for several weeks, he would at least make his i l lness as expensive as possible. A consultation of eminent surgeons was cal led, but t rueto his colors, Brewster instal led Dr. Lotless, a "Lit t le Son," ashis house surgeon. Monty grimly bore the pain and suffering andsubmitted to the operat ion which alone could save his l i fe . Thencame the struggle, then the promise of victory and then the quietdays of convalescence. In the l i t t le room where he had dreamed his boyish dreams and suffered his boyish sorrows, he struggledagainst death and gradually emerged from the mists of lassi tude.He found i t harder than he had thought to come back to l i fe . The burden of it al l seemed heavy. The trained nurses found that somemore powerful st imulant than the medicine was needed to awaken hisambit ion, and they discovered i t a t last in Peggy.

"Child," he said to her the f i rst t ime she was permit ted to seehim, and his eyes had l ights in them: "do you know, this isn ' tsuch a bad old world after al l . Sometimes as I 've lain here, i thas looked twisted and queer. But there are things that straightenit out . To-day I feel as though I had a place in i t --as though I

could f ight things and win out . What do you think, Peggy? Do yousuppose there is something that I could do? You know what I mean--something that some one else would not do a thousand t imes better ."

But Peggy, to whom this chastened mood in Monty was infini tely pathet ic, would not let him talk. She soothed him and cheered him



and touched his hair with her cool hands. And then she left him tothink and brood and dream.

It was many days before his turbulent mind drif ted to the subjectof money, but suddenly he found himself hoping that the surgeonswould be generous with their charges. He almost suffered a relapse

when Lotless, visibly distressed, informed him that the totalamount would reach three thousand dollars.

"And what is the addit ional charge for the operat ion?" askedMonty, unwil l ing to accept such unwarranted favors.

"It 's included in the three thousand," said Lotless. "They knewyou were my friend and i t was professional et iquet te to help keepdown expenses."

For days Brewster remained at Mrs. Gray's, happy in i tsrestfulness, serene under the charm of Peggy's presence, andsat isfied to be hopelessly behind in his dai ly expense account .The interest shown by the inquiries at the house and the anxietyof his fr iends were soothing to the profl igate. I t gave him back al i t t le of his lost self-respect . The doctors f inal ly decided thathe would best recuperate in Florida, and advised a month at leastin the warmth. He leaped at the proposi t ion, but took the law intohis own hands by ordering General Manager Harrison to rent a place, and insisting that he needed the companionship of Peggy andMrs. Gray.

"How soon can I get back to work, Doctor?" demanded Monty, the day before the special t rain was to carry him south. He was beginningto see the dark side of this enforced idleness. His blood againwas t ingl ing with the desire to be back in the harness of aspendthrif t .

"To work?" laughed the physician. "And what is your occupation, pray?"

"Making other people r ich," responded Brewster, soberly.

"Well , aren' t you sat isfied with what you have done for me? If youare as chari table as that you must be st i l l pret ty sick. Becareful , and you may be on your feet again in f ive or six weeks."

Harrison came in as Lotless left . Peggy smiled at him from the



window. She had been reading aloud from a novel so garrulous thati t fair ly cried aloud for interruptions.

"Now, Nopper, what became of the bal l I was going to give?"demanded Monty, a t roubled look in his eyes.

"Why, we cal led i t off ," said "Nopper," in surprise.

"Don't you remember, Monty?" asked Peggy, looking up quickly, andwondering if his mind had gone trai l ing off .

"I know we didn' t give i t , of course; but what date did you hi tupon?"

"We didn' t postpone i t a t a l l ," said "Nopper." "How could we? Wedidn't know whether--I mean i t wouldn't have been quite r ight to

do that sort of thing."

"I understand. Well , what has become of the orchestra , and theflowers, and al l that?"

"The orchestra is gal l ivanting around the country, quarrel ing withi tself and everybody else, and driving poor Gardner to the insaneasylum. The flowers have lost their bloom long ago."

"Well , we'l l get together, Nopper, and try to have the bal l a tmid-Lent . I think I ' l l be well by that t ime."

Peggy looked appeal ingly at Harrison for guidance, but to himsilence seemed the bet ter part of valor, and he went off wonderingif the i l lness had completely carried away Monty's reason.

CHAPTER XVI

IN THE SUNNY SOUTH

It was the cot tage of a New York mil l ionaire which had fal len toBrewster. The owner had, for the t ime, preferred Italy to St .August ine, and left his estate , which was well located and



lavishly equipped, in the hands of his fr iends. Brewster 's leasecovered three months, at a fabulous rate per month. With JoeBragdon instal led as manager-in-chief, his establ ishment wastransferred bodily from New York, and the rooms were soon ascomfortable as their grandeur would permit . Brewster was notal lowed to take advantage of his horses and the new automobile

which preceded him from New York, but to his guests they offeredunlimited opportunit ies. "Nopper" Harrison had remained in thenorth to renew arrangements for the now hated bal l and to look after the advance detai ls of the yacht cruise. Dr. Lotless and hissister , with "Subway" Smith and the Grays, made up Brewster 's party. Lotless dampened Monty's spiri ts by relent lessly putt inghim on rigid diet , with most discouraging restr ict ions upon hisconduct . The period of convalescence was to be an exceedinglytrying one for the inval id. At f i rst he was kept in-doors, and thehours were whiled away by playing cards. But Monty considered

"bridge" the "pons asinorum," and preferred to play piquet withPeggy. I t was one of these games that the girl interrupted with aquest ion that had troubled her for many days. "Monty," she said,and she found i t much more diff icul t than when she had rehearsedthe scene in the si lence of her walks; "I 've heard a rumor thatMiss Drew and her mother have taken rooms at the hotel . Wouldn'ti t be pleasanter to have them here?"

A heavy gloom set t led upon Brewster 's face, and the girl 's heartdropped l ike lead. She had puzzled over the estrangement, andwondered if by any effort of her own things could be set r ight . Att imes she had had flashing hopes that i t did not mean as much toMonty as she had thought . But down underneath, the fear that hewas unhappy seemed the only certain thing in l i fe . She fel t thatshe must make sure. And together with the very human desire toknow the worst , was the puri tanical impulse to bring i t about .

"You forget that this is the last place they would care toinvade." And in Brewster 's face Peggy seemed to read that for her martyrdom was the only wear. Bravely she put i t on.

"Monty, I forget nothing that I real ly know. But this is a case inwhich you are quite wrong. Where is your sport ing blood? You havenever fought a losing fight before, and you can' t do i t now. Youhave lost your nerve, Monty. Don't you see that this is the t imefor an aggressive campaign?" Somehow she was not saying things atal l as she had planned to say them. And his gloom weighed heavilyupon her. "You don't mind, do you, Monty," she added, more soft ly,



"this sort of thing from me? I know I ought not to interfere, butI 've known you so long. And I hate to see things twisted by a veryl i t t le mistake."

But Monty did mind enormously. He had no desire to talk about thething anyway, and Peggy's anxiety to marry him off seemed a bi t

unnecessary. Manifest ly her own interest in him was of thecoldest . From out of the gloom he looked at her somewhat sul lenly.For the moment she was thinking only of his pain, and her facesaid nothing.

"Peggy," he exclaimed, f inal ly, resenting the necessi ty of answering her, "you don't in the least know what you are talkingabout . I t is not a f i t of anger on Barbara Drew's part . I t is aserious convict ion."

"A convict ion which can be changed," the girl broke in.

"Not at al l ." Brewster took i t up. "She has no fai th in me. Shethinks I 'm an ass."

"Perhaps she 's r ight ," she exclaimed, a l i t t le hot . "Perhaps youhave never discovered that gir ls say many things to hide their emotions. Perhaps you don't real ize what feverish, exclamatory,foolish things girls are. They don't know how to be honest withthe men they love, and they wouldn't i f they did. You are l i t t leshort of an idiot , Monty Brewster, i f you bel ieved the things shesaid rather than the things she looked."

And Peggy, f iery and determined and defiant ly unhappy, threw downher cards and escaped so that she might not prove herself tearful ly feminine. She left Brewster st i l l heavily enveloped inmelancholy; but she left him puzzled. He began to wonder i f Barbara Drew did have something in the back of her mind. Then hefound his thoughts wandering off toward Peggy and her defiance. Hehad only twice before seen her in that mood, and he l iked i t . Heremembered how she had lost her temper once when she was f i f teen,

and hated a gir l he admired. Suddenly he laughed aloud at thethought of the f ierce l i t t le picture she had made, and the gloom,which had been so sedulously cul t ivated, was dissipated in amoment. The laugh surprised the man who brought in some let ters.One of them was from "Nopper" Harrison, and gave him al l the private news. The bal l was to be given at mid-Lent , which arrivedtoward the end of March, and negotiat ions were well under way for



the chartering of the "Fli t ter ," the steam-yacht belonging toReginald Brown, late of Brown & Brown.

The let ter made Brewster chafe under the bonds of inact ion. Hisaffairs were get t ing into a discouraging state . The i l lness wascertain to entai l a loss of more than $50,000 to his business. His

only consolat ion came through Harrison's synopsis of the reportsfrom Gardner, who was managing the brief American tour of theViennese orchestra . Quarrels and dissensions were becoming every-day embarrassments, and the venture was an ut ter fai lure from afinancial point of view. Broken contracts and lawsuits wereturning the tour into one continuous round of losses, and poor Gardner was on the point of despair . From the beginning,apparently, the concerts had been marked for disaster . Publicindifference had aroused the scorn of the i rascible members of theorchestra , and there was imminent danger of a col lapse in the

organizat ion. Gardner l ived in constant fear that his t roop of quarrelsome Hungarians would finish their tour suddenly in a pi tched bat tle with daggers and steins. Brewster smiled at thethought of pract ical Gardner t rying to smooth down the electr icemotions of these musicians.

A few days later Mrs. Prentiss Drew and Miss Drew registered atthe Ponce de Leon, and there was much speculat ion upon the chancesfor a reconcil iation. Monty, however, maintained a str ict si lenceon the subject , and refused to sat isfy the curiosi ty of hisfriends. Mrs. Drew had brought down a small crowd, including two pret ty Kentucky girls and a young Chicago mill ionaire. She l ivedwell and sensibly, with none of the extravagance thatcharacterized the cot tage. Yet i t was inevitable that Brewster 'sguests should see hers and join some of their r iding part ies.Monty pleaded that he was not well enough to be in theseexcursions, but nei ther he nor Barbara cared to over-emphasizetheir estrangement.

Peggy Gray was in despair over Monty's at t i tude. She had becomeconvinced that behind his pride he was cherishing a secret longing

for Barbara. Yet she could not see how the walls were to be brokendown if he maintained this icy reserve. She was sure that themasterful tone was the one to win with a gir l l ike that , butevidently Monty would not accept advice. That he was mistakenabout Barbara 's feel ing she did not doubt for a moment, and shesaw things going hopelessly wrong for want of a word. There weret imes when she let herself dream of possibi l i t ies, but they always



ended by seeming too impossible. She cared too much to make theat tainment of her vision seem simple. She cared too much to besure of anything.

At moments she fancied that she might say a word to Miss Drewwhich would straighten things out . But there was something about

her which held her off . Even now that they were thrown together more or less she could not get beyond a certain barrier . I t wasnot unti l a sunny day when she had accepted Barbara 's invi tat ionto drive that things seemed to go more easi ly. For the f i rst t imeshe fel t the charm of the girl , and for the f i rst t ime Barbaraseemed unreservedly fr iendly. I t was a quiet drive they weretaking through the woods and out along the beach, and somehow inthe open air things simplif ied themselves. Final ly, in thesoftness and the idle warmth, even an al lusion to Monty, whosename usual ly meant an embarrassing change of subject , began to

seem possible. I t was inevitable that Peggy should bring i t in;for with her a quest ion of tact was never al lowed to dominate whenthings of moment were at stake. She cowered before the plunge, butshe took i t unafraid.

"The doctor says Monty may go out driving to-morrow," she began."Isn' t that f ine?"

Barbara 's only response was to touch her pony a l i t t le too sharplywith the whip. Peggy went on as i f unconscious of the chal lenge.

"He has been bored to death, poor fel low, in the house al l thist ime, and--"

"Miss Gray, please do not mention Mr. Brewster 's name to meagain," interrupted Barbara, with a contract ion of the eyebrows.But Peggy was seized with a spiri t of defiance and plungedrecklessly on.

"What is the use, Miss Drew, of taking an at t i tude l ike that? Iknow the si tuat ion pret ty well , and I can' t bel ieve that ei ther

Monty or you has lost in a week a feel ing that was so deep-seated.I know Monty much too well to think that he would change soeasi ly." Peggy st i l l l ived largely in her ideals. "And you are toofine a thing not to have suffered under this misunderstanding. I tseems as i f a very small word would set you both straight ."

Barbara drew herself up and kept her eyes on the road which lay



white and gleaming in the sun. "I have not the least desire to beset straight ." And she was never more serious.

"But i t was only a few weeks ago that you were engaged."

"I am sorry," answered Barbara, "that i t should have been talked

about so much. Mr. Brewster did ask me to marry him, but I never accepted. In fact , i t was only his persistence that made meconsider the matter at al l . I did think about i t . I confess that Irather l iked him. But i t was not long before I found him out ."

"What do you mean?" And there was a f lash in Peggy's eyes. "Whathas he done?"

"To my certain knowledge he has spent more than four hundredthousand dollars since last September. That is something, is i t

not?" Miss Drew said, in her slow, cool voice, and even Peggy'sloyal ty admit ted some just i f icat ion in the cri t icism.

"Generosi ty has ceased to be a vir tue, then?" she asked coldly.

"Generosi ty!" exclaimed Barbara, sharply. "It 's sheer idiocy.Haven't you heard the things people are saying? They are cal l inghim a fool , and in the clubs they are bet t ing that he wil l be a pauper within a year."

"Yet they chari tably help him to spend his money. And I havenoticed that even worldly mammas find him el igible." The commentwas not without i ts caust ic side.

"That was months ago, my dear," protested Barbara, calmly. "Whenhe spoke to me--he told me i t would be impossible for him to marrywithin a year. And don't you see that a year may make him anabject beggar?"

"Natural ly anything is preferable to a beggar," came in Peggy'sclear, soft voice.

Barbara hesi tated only a moment.

"Well , you must admit , Miss Gray, that i t shows a shameful lack of character . How could any girl be happy with a man l ike that? And,after al l , one must look out for one 's own fate ."



"Undoubtedly," repl ied Peggy, but many thoughts were dashingthrough her brain.

"Shall we turn back to the cot tage?" she said, after an awkwardsi lence.

"You certainly don't approve of Mr. Brewster 's conduct?" Barbaradid not l ike to be placed in the wrong, and fel t that she mustendeavor to just i fy herself . "He is the most reckless of spend-thrif ts, we know, and he probably indulges in even lessrespectable exci tement ."

Peggy was not tal l , but she carried her head at this moment asthough she were in the habit of looking down on the world.

"Aren't you going a l i t t le too far , Miss Drew?" she asked

placidly.

"It is not only New York that laughs at his Quixotictransact ions," Barbara persisted. "Mr. Hampton, our guest fromChicago, says the stories are worse out there than they are in theeast ."

"It is a pi ty that Monty's i l lness should have made him so weak,"said Peggy quiet ly, as they turned in through the great i rongates, and Barbara was not slow to see the point .

CHAPTER XVII

THE NEW TENDERFOOT

Brewster was comparat ively well and strong when he returned to New

York in March. His i l lness had interfered extensively with his plan of campaign and i t was imperative that he redouble hisefforts, notwithstanding the manifest dismay of his fr iends. Hisfirst act was to cal l upon Grant & Ripley, from whom he hoped tolearn what Swearengen Jones thought of his methods. The lawyershad heard no complaint from Montana, and advised him to continueas he had begun, assuring him, as far as they could, that Jones



would not prove unreasonable.

An exchange of telegrams just before his operat ion had renewedMonty's dread of his eccentric mentor.

NEW YORK, Jan. 6, 19--

SWEARENGEN JONES,

Butte , Mont.

How about having my l i fe insured? Would i t violate condit ions?


To MONTGOMERY BREWSTER,

New York.

Seems to me your l i fe would become an asset in that case. Can youdispose of i t before September 23d?

JONES.

TO SWEARENGEN JONES,

Butte , Mont.

On the contrary, I think l i fe wil l be a debt by that t ime.



New York.

If you feel that way about i t , I advise you to take out a $500

policy.

JONES.

TO SWEARENGEN JONES,

Butte , Mont.



Do you think that amount would cover funeral expenses?



New York.

You won't be caring about expenses i f i t comes to that .

JONES.

The invitat ions for the second bal l had been out for some t ime andthe preparat ions were nearly complete when Brewster arrived uponthe scene of fest ivi ty. I t did not surprise him that several old-

t ime friends should hunt him up and protest vigorously against thecourse he was pursuing. Nor did i t surprise him when he found thathis presence was not as essential to the success of some other affair as i t had once been. He was not greeted as cordial ly as before, and he grimly wondered how many of his fr iends would s tandtrue to the end. The uncertainty made him turn more and more oftento the unquest ioned loyal ty of Peggy Gray, and her l i t t le l ibrarysaw him more frequently than for months.

Much as he had dreaded the pretent ious and resplendent bal l , i twas useful to him in one way at least . The "profi t" side of hisledger account was enlarged and in that there was room for secretsat isfact ion. The Viennese orchestra straggled into New York,headed by Elon Gardner, a physical wreck, in t ime to make aharmonious farewell appearance behind Brewster 's palms, whichcaused his guests to wonder why the American public could notappreciate the real thing. A careful summing up of the expensesand receipts proved that the tour had been a bonanza for Brewster.The net loss was a t r i f le more than $56,000. When this story became known about town, everybody laughed pi tyingly, and poor Gardner was almost in tears when he tr ied to explain the disaster

to the man who lost the money. But Monty's sense of humor,singularly enough, did not desert him on this t rying occasion.

Aesthet ical ly the bal l proved to be the talk of more than oneseason. Pet t ingi l l had just i f ied his desire for authori ty and madea name which would last . He had taken matters into his own handswhile Brewster was in Florida, and changed the period from the



Spain of Velasquez to France and Louis Quinze. After the cardswere out he remembered, to his consternat ion, that the favors purchased for the Spanish ball would be entirely inappropriate for the French one. He wired Brewster at once of this misfortune, andwas astonished at the nonchalance of his reply. "But then Montyalways was a good sort ," he thought , with a glow of affect ion. The

new plan was more cost ly than the old, for i t was no simple matter to build a Versai l les sui te at Sherry 's. Pet t ingi l l was noimitator, but he created an effect which was superbly in keepingwith the period he had chosen. Against i t the r ich costumes, withtheir accompaniment of wigs and powdered hair , shone outresplendent . With great diff icul ty the art ist had secured for Monty a costume in white sat in and gold brocade, which might oncehave adorned the person of Louis himself . I t made him feel l ike a popinjay, and i t was with infinite rel ief that he took i t off anhour or so after dawn. He knew that things had gone well , that

even Mrs. Dan was sat isfied; but the whole affair made himheartsick. Behind the compliments lavished upon him he detected anote of i rony, which revealed the laughter that went on behind his back. He had not real ized how much it would hurt. "For two cents,"he thought , "I 'd give up the game and be sat isfied with what 'sleft ." But he reflected that such a course would offer no chanceto redeem himself . Once again he took up the chal lenge anddetermined to win out . "Then," he thought exultant ly, "I ' l l makethem feel this a bi t ."

He longed for the t ime when he could take his few friends with himand sai l away to the Mediterranean to escape the eyes and tonguesof New York. Impatient ly he urged Harrison to complete thearrangements, so that they could start a t once. But Harrison'sface was not untroubled when he made his report . All the prel iminary details had been perfected. He had taken the "Fli tter"for four months, and i t was being overhauled and put intocondit ion for the voyage. I t had been Brown's special pride, butat his death i t went to heirs who were ready and eager to rent i tto the highest bidder. I t would not have been easy to f ind ahandsomer yacht in New York waters. A picked crew of f i f ty men

were under command of Captain Abner Perry. The steward was afamous manager and could be rel ied upon to stock the larder in princely fashion. The boat would be in readiness to sai l by thetenth of Apri l .

"I think you are going in too heavily, Monty," protested Harrison,twist ing his f ingers nervously. "I can' t for my l i fe f igure how



you can get out for less than a fortune, i f we do everything youhave in mind. Wouldn't i t be bet ter to pull up a bi t? This looksl ike sheer madness. You won't have a dollar , Monty--honest ly youwon't ."

"It 's not in me to save money, Nopper, but i f you can pull out a

few dollars for yourself I shal l not object ."

"You told me that once before, Monty," said Harrison, as he walkedto the window. When he resolutely turned back again to Brewster his face was white , but there was a look of determination aroundthe mouth.

"Monty, I 've got to give up this job," he said, huskily. Brewster looked up quickly.

"What do you mean, Nopper?"

"I 've got to leave, that 's al l ," said Harrison, standing st i ff andstraight and looking over Brewster 's head.

"Good Lord, Nopper, I can' t have that . You must not desert theship. What 's the matter , old chap? You're as white as a ghost .What is i t?" Monty was standing now and his hands were onHarrison's shoulders, but before the intensi ty of his look, hisfriend's eyes fel l helplessly.

"The truth is, Monty, I 've taken some of your money and I 've losti t . That 's the reason I--I can' t stay on. I have betrayed your confidence."

"Tell me about i t ," and Monty was perhaps more uncomfortable thanhis fr iend. "I don't understand."

"You bel ieved too much in me, Monty. You see, I thought I wasdoing you a favor. You were spending so much and get t ing nothingin return, and I thought I saw a chance to help you out . I t went

wrong, that 's al l , and before I could let go of the stock sixtythousand dollars of your money had gone. I can' t replace i t yet .But God knows I didn' t mean to steal ."

"It 's a l l r ight , Nopper. I see that you thought you were helpingme. The money's gone and that ends i t . Don't take i t so hard, old boy."



"I knew you'd act this way, but i t doesn' t help matters. Some dayI may be able to pay back the money I took, and I 'm going to work unti l I do."

Brewster protested that he had no use for the money and begged him

to retain the posi t ion of t rust he had held. But Harrison had toomuch self-respect to care to be confronted dai ly with the man hehad wronged. Gradually Monty real ized that "Nopper" was pursuingthe most manly course open to him, and gave up the effort todissuade him. He insisted upon leaving New York, as there was noopportunity to redeem himself in the metropolis.

"I 've made up my mind, Monty, to go out west , up in the mountains perhaps. There's no tell ing, I may s tumble on a gold mine upthere--and--well , that seems to be the only chance I have to

restore what I have taken from you."

"By Jove, Nopper, I have i t !" cried Monty. "If you must go, I ' l lstake you in the hunt for gold."

In the end "Nopper" consented to fol low Brewster 's advice, and i twas agreed that they should share equally al l that resul ted fromhis prospect ing tour. Brewster "grub-staked" him for a year, and before the end of the week a new tenderfoot was on his way to theRocky Mountains.

CHAPTER XVIII

THE PRODIGAL AT SEA

Harrison's departure left Brewster in sore strai ts. I t forced him

to set t le down to the actual management of his own affairs. He wasnot indolent , but this was not the kind of work he cared toencourage. The private accounts he had kept revealed someappall ing facts when he went over them careful ly one morning atfour o 'clock, after an al l -night session with the ledger. Withinfini te pains he had managed to r ise to something over $450,000in six months. But to his original mil l ion i t had been necessary



to add $58,550 which he had real ized from Lumber and Fuel and someof his other "unfortunate" operat ions. At least $40,000 would cometo him ult imately through the sale of furni ture and other belongings, and then there would be something l ike $20,000interest to consider. But luck had aided him in get t ing rid of hismoney. The bank fai lure had cost him $113,468.25, and "Nopper"

Harrison had helped him to the extent of $60,000. The reckless butdetermined effort to give a bal l had cost $30,000. What he hadlost during his i l lness had been pret ty well offset by the unluckyconcert tour. The Florida t r ip, including medical at tent ion, thecottage and l iving expenses, had entai led the expenditure of $18,500, and his princely dinners and theater part ies had footedup $31,000. Taking al l the facts into considerat ion, he fel t thathe had done rather well as far as he had gone, but the hardest part of the undertaking was yet to come. He was s til l in possession of an enormous sum, which must disappear before

September 23d. About $40,000 had already been expended in theyachting project .

He determined to begin at once a systematic campaign of ext inct ion. I t had been his intent ion before sai l ing to dispose of many household art icles, e i ther by sale or gif t . As he did notexpect to return to New York before the lat ter part of August ,this would minimize the struggles of the last month. But the prospect ive "profit" to be acquired from keeping his apartmentopen was not to be overlooked. He could easi ly count upon agenerous sum for salaries and running expenses. Once on the other side of the Atlant ic , he hoped that new opportunit ies for extravagance would present themselves, and he fancied he couldleave the f inal set t lement of his affairs for the last month. Asthe day for s ai l ing approached, the world again seemed bright tothis most mercenary of spendthrif ts.

A farewell consultat ion with his at torneys proved encouraging, for to them his chances to win the extraordinary contest seemed of the best. He was in high spiri ts as he left them, exhilarated by thesensat ion that the world lay before him. In the elevator he

encountered Colonel Prentiss Drew. On both sides the meeting wasnot without i ts diff icul t ies. The Colonel had been dazed by theinexplicable si tuat ion between Monty and his daughter, whoseinvolut ions he found hard to understand. Her summary of the effortshe had made to effect a reconcil iat ion, after hearing the storyof the bank, was rather vague. She had done her utmost , she said,to be nice to him and make him feel that she appreciated his



generosi ty, but he took i t in the most disagreeable fashion.Colonel Drew knew that things were somehow wrong; but he was toostrongly an American father to interfere in a matter of theaffect ions. I t distressed him, for he had a l iking for Monty, andBarbara 's "society judgments," as he cal led them, had no weightwith him. When he found himself confronted with Brewster in the

elevator, the old warmth revived and the old hope that the quarrelmight have an end. His greet ing was cheery.

"You have not forgotten, Brewster," he said, as they shook hands,"that you have a dollar or two with us?"

"No," said Monty, "not exact ly. And I shal l be cal l ing upon youfor some of i t very soon. I 'm off on Thursday for a cruise in theMediterranean."

"I 've heard something of i t ." They had reached the main floor andColonel Drew had drawn his companion out of the crowd into therotunda. "The money is at your disposal at any moment. But aren' tyou set t ing a pret ty l ively pace, my boy? You know I 've alwaysl iked you, and I knew your grandfather rather well . He was a goodold chap, Monty, and he would hate to see you make ducks anddrakes of his fortune."

There was something in the Colonel 's manner that softenedBrewster, much as he hated to take a reproof from Barbara 'sfather. Once again he was tempted to tel l the t ruth, but he pulledhimself up in t ime. "It 's a funny old world, Colonel ," he said;"and sometimes one 's nearest fr iend is a stranger. I know I seem afool; but , after al l , why isn ' t i t good philosophy to make themost of a holiday and then set t le back to work?"

"That is al l very well , Monty," and Colonel Drew was ent irelyserious; "but the work is a hundred t imes harder after you have played to the l imit You'll find that you are way beyond i t . I t 'sno joke get t ing back into the harness."

"Perhaps you are r ight , Colonel , but at least I shal l havesomething to look back upon--even if the worst comes." And Montyinst inct ively straightened his shoulders.

They turned to leave the building, and the Colonel had a moment of weakness.



"Do you know, Monty," he said, "my daughter is awfully cut upabout this business. She is plucky and tr ies not to show i t , butafter al l a gir l doesn' t get over that sort of thing al l in amoment. I am not saying"--i t seemed necessary to recede a step"that i t would be an easy matter to patch up. But I l ike you,Monty, and if any man could do i t , you can."

"Colonel , I wish I might ," and Brewster found that he did nothesi tate . "For your sake I very much wish the si tuat ion were assimple as i t seems. But there are some things a man can' t forget ,and--well--Barbara has shown in a dozen ways that she has no fai thin me."

"Well , I 've got fai th in you, and a lot of i t . Take care of yourself , and when you get back you can count on me. Good-bye."

On Thursday morning the "Fli t ter" steamed off down the bay, andthe f l ight of the prodigal grand-son was on. No swifter , c leaner,handsomer boat ever sai led out of the harbor of New York, and i twas a merry crowd that s he carried out to sea. Brewster 's guestsnumbered twenty-five, and they brought with them a l iberal supplyof maids, valets, and luggage. I t was not unt i l many weeks later that he read the vivid descript ions of the weighing of the anchor which were printed in the New York papers, but by that t ime he wasimpervious to their r idicule.

On deck, watching the rugged si lhouette of the ci ty disappear intothe mists, were Dan DeMille and Mrs. Dan, Peggy Gray, "Rip" VanWinkle, Reginald Vanderpool, Joe Bragdon, Dr. Lotless and hissister Isabel , Mr. and Mrs. Valentine--the official chaperon--andtheir daughter Mary, "Subway" Smith, Paul Pet t ingi l l , and someothers hardly less dist inguished. As Monty looked over the eager crowd, he recognized with a peculiar glow that here wererepresented his best and truest fr iendships. The loyal ty of thesecompanions had been tested, and he knew that they would stand byhim through everything.

There was no l i t t le surprise when i t was learned that Dan DeMillewas ready to sai l . Many of the idle voyagers ventured the opinionthat he would try to desert the boat in mid-ocean if he saw achance to get back to his club on a west-bound steamer. ButDeMille , big, indolent , and indifferent , smiled carelessly, andhoped he wouldn't bother anybody if he "stuck to the ship" unti lthe end.



For a t ime the sea and the sky and the talk of the crowd wereenough for the joy of l iving. But after a few peaceful days therewas a lul l , and i t was then that Monty gained the nickname of Aladdin, which clung to him. From somewhere, from the hold or therigging or from under the sea, he brought forth four darkies from

the south who strummed guitars and sang ragt ime melodies. Morethan once during the voyage they were useful .

"Peggy," said Brewster one day, when the sky was part icularlyclear and things were quiet on deck, "on the whole I prefer thisto crossing the North River on a ferry. I rather l ike i t , don'tyou?"

"It seems l ike a dream," she cried, her eyes, bright , her hair blowing in the wind.

"And, Peggy, do you know what I tucked away in a chest down in mycabin? A lot of books that you l ike--some from the old garret .I 've saved them to read on rainy days."

Peggy did not speak, but the blood began to creep into her faceand she looked wistful ly across the water. Then she smiled.

"I didn' t know you could save anything," she said, weakly.

"Come now, Peggy, that is too much."

"I didn' t mean to hurt you. But you must not forget , Monty, thatthere are other years to fol low this one. Do you know what Imean?"

"Peggy, dear, please don't lecture me," he begged, so pi teouslythat she could not be serious.

"The class is dismissed for to-day, Monty," she said, air i ly. "Butthe professor knows his duty and won't le t you off so easi ly next

t ime."

CHAPTER XIX



ONE HERO AND ANOTHER

At Gibral tar , Monty was handed an ominous-looking cablegram whichhe opened tremblingly.


Private Yacht Fl i t ter , Gibral tar .

There is an agi tat ion to declare for free si lver. You may havetwice as much to spend. Hooray.

JONES.

To which Monty responded:

Defeat the measure at any cost . The more the merrier , and chargei t to me. BREWSTER. P.S. Please send many cables and mark themcollect.

The Riviera season was fast closing, and the possibi l i t iessuggested by Monte Carlo were too al luring to the host to admit of a long stop at Gibral tar . But the DeMilles had let ters to one of the officers of the garrison, and Brewster could not overlook theopportunity to give an elaborate dinner. The success of the affair may best be judged by the fact that the "Fli t ter 's" larder required an ent irely new stock the next day. The officers andladies of the garrison were asked, and Monty would haveentertained the ent ire regiment with beer and sandwiches i f hisfriends had not interfered.

"It might cement the Anglo-American al l iance," argued Gardner,"but your pocketbook needs cementing a bi t more."

Yet the pocketbook was very wide open, and Gardner 's only

consolat ion lay in a tal l English girl whom he took out to dinner.For the others there were many compensat ions, as the affair was bril l iant and the new element a pleasant rel ief from theinevitable monotony.

It was after the guests had gone ashore that Monty discovered Mr.and Mrs. Dan holding a tete-a-tete in the stern of the boat .



"I am sorry to break this up," he interrupted, "but as the onlyconscient ious chaperon in the party, I must warn you that your behavior is already being talked about. The idea of a sedate oldmarried couple si t t ing out here alone watching the moon! I t 'sshocking."

"I yield to the host ," said Dan, mockingly. "But I shal l beconsumed with jealousy unti l you restore her to me."

Monty noticed the look in Mrs. Dan's eyes as she watched her husband go, and marked a new note in her voice as she said, "Howthis t r ip is bringing him out ."

"He has just discovered," Monty observed, "that the club is notthe only place in the world."

"It 's a funny thing," she answered, "that Dan should have been somisunderstood. Do you know that he relent lessly conceals his bestside? Down underneath he is the kind of man who could do a f inething very simply."

"My dear Mrs. Dan, you surprise me. I t looks to me almost asthough you had fal len in love with Dan yourself ."

"Monty," she said, sharply, "you are as bl ind as the rest . Haveyou never seen that before? I have played many games, but I havealways come back to Dan. Through them all I have known that he wasthe only thing possible to me--the only thing in the leastdesirable. I t 's a queer muddle that one should be tempted to playwith f i re even when one is monotonously happy. I 've been singedonce or twice. But Dan is a dear and he has always helped me outof a t ight place. He knows. No one understands bet ter than Dan.And perhaps i f I were less wickedly human, he would not care for me so much."

Monty l istened at f i rst in a sort of a daze, for he had

unthinkingly accepted the general opinion of the DeMillesi tuat ion. But there were tears in her eyes for a moment, and thetone of her voice was convincing. I t came to him with unpleasantdist inctness that he had been al l kinds of a fool . Looking back over his intercourse with her, he real ized that the si tuat ion had been clear enough all the t ime.



"How l i t t le we know our fr iends!" he exclaimed, with some bi tterness. And a moment later, "I 've l iked you a great deal, Mrs.Dan, for a long t ime, but to-night--well , to-night I am jealous of Dan."

The "Fli t ter" saw some rough weather in making the t r ip across the

Bay of Lyons. She was heading for Nice when an incident occurredthat created the f i rst real exci tement experienced on the voyage.A group of passengers in the main saloon was discussing, more or less steal thi ly, Monty's "misdemeanors," when Reggy Vanderpoolsauntered lazi ly in, his face displaying the only sign of interesti t had shown in days.

"Funny predicament I was just in," he drawled. "I want to ask whata fel low should have done under the circumstances."

"I 'd have refused the girl ," observed "Rip" Van Winkle,laconical ly.

"Girl had nothing to do with i t , old chap," went on Reggy,dropping into a chair . "Fel low fel l overboard a l i t t le while ago,"he went on, calmly. There was a chorus of cries and Brewster wasforgotten for a t ime. "One of the sai lors, you know. He was doingsomething in the r igging near where I was standing. Puff! off hewent into the sea, and there he was puttering around in thewater."

"Oh, the poor fel low," cried Miss Valentine.

"I 'd never set eyes on him before--perfect stranger. I wouldn'thave hesi tated a minute, but the deck was crowded with a lot of his fr iends. One chap was his bunkie. So, real ly, now, i t wasn' tmy place to jump in after him. He could swim a bi t , and I yel ledto him to hold up and I 'd tel l the captain. Confounded captainwasn't to be found though. Somebody said he was asleep. In the endI told the mate. By this t ime we were a mile away from the placewhere he went overboard, and I told the mate I didn' t think we

could f ind him if we went back. But he lowered some boats and they put back fast . Afterwards I got to thinking about the matter. Of course i f I had known him--if he had been one of you--i t wouldhave been different ."

"And you were the best swimmer in col lege, you miserable rat ,"exploded Dr. Lotless.



There was a wild rush for the upper deck, and Vanderpool was notthe hero of the hour. The "Fli t ter" had turned and was steaming back over her course. Two small boats were racing to the placewhere Reggy's unknown had gone over.

"Where is Brewster?" shouted Joe Bragdon.

"I can' t f ind him, sir ," answered the f i rst mate.

"He ought to know of this," cried Mr. Valentine.

"There! By the eternal , they are picking somebody up over yonder,"exclaimed the mate. "See! that f i rst boat has laid to and they aredragging--yes, si r , he 's saved!"

A cheer went up on board and the men in the s mall boats wavedtheir caps in response. Everybody rushed to the rai l as the"Fli t ter" drew up to the boats, and there was intense exci tementon board. A gasp of amazement went up from every one.

Monty Brewster, drenched but smil ing, sat in one of the boats, andleaning l imply against him, his head on his chest , was the sai lor who had fal len overboard. Brewster had seen the man in the water and, instead of wondering what his antecedents were, leaped to hisassistance. When the boat reached him his unconscious burden was adead weight and his own strength was almost gone. Another minuteor two and both would have gone to the bottom.

As they hauled Monty over the side he shivered for an instant ,grasped the f i rst l i t t le hand that sought his so frant ical ly, andthen turned to look upon the half-dead sai lor.

"Find out the boy's name, Mr. Abertz , and see that he has the bestof care. Just before he fainted out there he murmured somethingabout his mother. He wasn't thinking of himself even then, yousee. And Bragdon"--this in a lower voice--"wil l you see that his

wages are properly increased? Hello, Peggy! Look out , you'l l getwet to the skin i f you do that ."



CHAPTER XX

LE ROI S 'AMUSE

If Montgomery Brewster had had any misgivings about his abi l i ty to

dispose of the balance of his fortune they were dispel led verysoon after his party landed in the Riviera. On the pretext thatthe yacht required a thorough "house cleaning" Brewster t ransferred his guests to the hotel of a fascinat ing vi l lage whichwas near the sea and yet qui te out of the world. The place wasnearly empty at the t ime, and the proprietor wept tears of joywhen Monty engaged for his party the ent ire f i rst f loor of thehouse with balconies overlooking the blue Mediterranean and aseparate dining-room and salon. Extra servants were summoned, andthe Brewster l ivery was soon a famil iar sight about the vi l lage.

The protests of Peggy and the others were only si lenced when Montythreatened to rent a vi l la and go to housekeeping.

The town quickly took on the appearance of entertaining a royalvisi tor , and a number of shops were kept open longer than usual inthe hope that their owners might catch some of the American'smoney. One morning Phil ippe, the hotel proprietor, was t rying toimpress Brewster with a gest iculatory descript ion of the gloriesof the Batai l le de Fleurs. I t seemed quite impossible to expressthe extent of his regret that the party had not arrived in t ime tosee i t .

"This is qui te another place at that t ime," he said ecstat ical ly."C'est magnifique! c 'est superbe! If monsieur had only seen i t !"

"Why not have another al l to ourselves?" asked Monty. But thesuggest ion was not taken seriously.

Nevertheless the young American and his host were in secretsession for the rest of the morning, and when the resul t wasannounced at luncheon there was general consternat ion. I t appeared

that ten days later occurred the fete day of some minor saint whohad not for years been accorded the honor of a celebrat ion. Monty proposed to revive the custom by arranging a second carnival.

"You might just as well not come to the Riviera at al l ," heexplained, "if you can' t see a carnival . I t 's a simple matter ,real ly. I offer one price for the best decorated carriage and



another to the handsomest lady. Then every one puts on a dominoand a mask, throws confet t i a t every one else, and there you are."

"I suppose you wil l have the confet t i made of thousand francnotes, and offer a house and lot as a prize." And Bragdon fearedthat his sarcasm was almost insul t ing.

"Really, Monty, the scheme is r idiculous," said DeMille , "the police won't al low i t ."

"Won't they though!" said Monty, exultant ly. "The chief happens to be Philippe's brother-in-law, and we had him on the telephone. Hewouldn't l isten to the scheme unti l we agreed to make him grandmarshal of the parade. Then he promised the cooperat ion of theentire force and hoped to interest his col league, the chief of thefire department ."

"The parade wil l consist of two gendarmes and the Brewster partyin carriages," laughed Mrs. Dan. "Do you expect us to go before or after the bakery carts?"

"We review the procession from the hotel ," said Monty. "Youneedn't worry about the fete . I t 's going to be great . Why, anIrishman isn ' t fonder of marching than these people are of havinga carnival ."

The men in the party went into executive session as soon as Montyhad gone to interview the local authori t ies, and s eriouslyconsidered taking measures to subdue their host 's eccentrici ties.But the humor of the scheme appealed to them too forcibly, andalmost before they knew i t they were making plans for thecarnival .

"Of course we can' t le t him do i t , but i t would be sport ," said"Subway" Smith. "Think of a cake-walk between gendarmes and blanchiseuses."

"I always feel devil ish the moment I get a mask on," saidVanderpool , "and you know, by Jove, I haven't fel t that way for years."

"That set t les i t , then," said DeMille . "Monty would cal l i t off himself i f he knew how i t would affect Reggie."



Monty returned with the announcement that the mayor of the townwould declare a holiday if the American could see his way to payfor the repairs on the mairie roof. A circus, which was travel ingin the neighborhood, was guaranteed expenses i f i t would stop over and occupy the square in front of the Hotel de Vil le . Brewster 'senthusiasm was such that no one could resist helping him, and for

nearly a week his fr iends were occupied in superintending theerect ion of t r iumphal arches and encouraging the shopkeepers to dotheir best . Although the scheme had been conceived in the spiri tof a lark i t was not so received by the townspeople. They werequite serious in the matter . The rai l road officials sentadvert isements broadcast, and the local cure cal led to thank Brewster for resurrect ing, as i t were, the obscure saint . Theexpression of his grat i tude was so mingled with f lat tery andappeal that Monty could not overlook the hint that a new al tar piece had long been needed.

The great day final ly arrived, and no carnival could have beenmore bizarre or more successful . The morning was devoted toathlet ics and the side shows. The pompiers won the tug of war, andthe people marveled when Monty duplicated the feats of the strongman in the circus. DeMille was cal led upon for a speech, butknowing only ten words of French, he graciously ret i red in favor of the mayor, and that pompous l i t t le man made the most of a rareopportunity. References to Franklin and Lafayet te were so frequentthat "Subway" Smith int imated that a rubber stamp must have beenused in wri t ing the address.

The parade took place in the afternoon, and proved quite thefeature of the day. The quest ion of precedence nearly overturnedMonty's plans, but the chief of pol ice was f inal ly made to seethat i f he were to be chief marshal i t was only fair that the pompiers should march ahead of the gendarmes. The crew of the"Fli t ter" made a wonderful showing. I t was led by the yacht 's band, which fair ly outdid Sousa in noise, though i t was lessunanimous in the matter of t ime. All the f iacres came at the end, but there were so many of them and the l ine of march was so short

that at t imes they were real ly leading the processional despitethe gal lant efforts of the grand marshal .

From the balcony of the hotel Monty and his party pel ted those below with f lowers and confet ti . More allusions to Franklin andLafayette were made when the cure and the mayor halted the procession and presented Monty with an address richly engrossed on



imitat ion parchment. Then the school chi ldren sang and the crowddispersed to meet again in the evening.

At eight o 'clock Brewster presided over a large banquet , andnumbered among his guests every one of dist inct ion in the town.The wives were also invi ted and Franklin and Lafayet te were again

al luded to. Each of the men made at least one speech, but "Subway"Smith's third address was the hi t of the evening. Knowing nothing but English, he had previously clung consistently to thatlanguage, but the third and final address seemed to demandsomething more fr iendly and genial . With a sweeping bow and withal l the dignity of a statesman he began:

"Mesdames et Messieurs: J 'a i , tu as, i l a , nous avons,"--with amagnificent gesture, "vous avez." The French members of thecompany were not equal to his pronunciat ion and were under the

impression that he was st i l l ta lking English. They were profoundlyimpressed with his deference and grace, and accorded his preamblea round of applause. The Americans did their utmost to persuadehim to be seated, but their uproar was mistaken by the others for enthusiasm, and the applause grew louder than ever. "Subway" heldup his hand for si lence, and his manner suggested that he wasabout to ut ter some peculiarly important thought . He waited unti la pin fal l could have been heard before he went on.

"Maitre corbeau sur un arbre perche--" he f inished the speech ashe was being carried bodily from the room by DeMille and Bragdon.The Frenchmen then imagined that Smith 's remarks had beeninsult ing, and his fr iends had si lenced him on that account . Ariot seemed imminent when Monty succeeded in restoring si lence,and with a few tactful remarks about Franklin and Lafayet tequieted the exci ted guests.

The evening ended with f i reworks and a dance in the open air ,--adance that grew gay under the masks. The wheels had been welloi led and there was no visible fai lure of the carnival spiri t . ToBrewster i t seemed a mad game, and he found i t less easy to play a

part behind the foolish mask than he expected. His own friendsseemed to elude him, and the coquetries of the vi l lage damsels hadmerely a f leet ing charm. He was standing apart to watch theglimmering crowd when he was start led by a smothered cry. Turningto invest igate, he discovered a l i t t le red domino, unmistakablyfrightened, and trying to release herself from a too ardentPunchinel lo. Monty's arrival prevented him from tearing off the



girl 's mask and gave him an ent irely new conception of thestrenuous l i fe . He arose fuming and sputtering, but he was takenin hand by the crowd and whirled from one to another in whimsicalmockery. Meanwhile Monty, unconscious that his mask had droppedduring the encounter, was astonished to feel the l i t t le hand of the red domino on his arm and to hear a voice not at al l

unfamil iar in his ear:

"Monty, you are a dear. I love you for that . You looked l ike aGreek athlete . Do you know--i t was foolish--but I real ly wasfrightened."

"Child, how could i t have happened?" he whispered, leading her away. "Fancy my l i t t le Peggy with no one to look after her. What a beast I was to trust you to Pett ingil l . I might have known thechump would have been knocked out by al l this color." He stopped

to look down at her and a l ight came into his eyes. "Lit t le Peggyin the great world," he smiled; "you are not f i t . You need--well ,you need--just me."

But Mrs. Valentine had seen him as he stood revealed, and came upin search of Peggy. I t was almost morning, she told her, and quitet ime to go back to the hotel and sleep. So in Bragdon's chargethey wandered off , a bi t reluctant ly, a bi t l ingeringly.

I t was not unt i l Monty was summoned to rescue "Reggie" Vanderpoolfrom the stern arm of the law that he discovered the identi ty of Punchinel lo. Manifest ly he had not been in a condit ion torecognize his assai lant , and a subsequent disagreement had driventhe f i rst out of his head. The poor boy was sadly bruised aboutthe face and his arrest had probably saved him from worse punishment.

"I told you I couldn't wear a mask," he explained rueful ly asMonty led him home. "But how could I know that he could hear meall the t ime?"

The day after the carnival Brewster drove his guests over to MonteCarlo. He meant to stay only long enough to t ry his luck at thetables and lose enough to make up for the days at sea when his purse was necessari ly idle . Swearengen Jones was forgotten, andsoon after his arrival he began to plunge. At f i rst he lostheavily, and i t was with diff icul ty that he concealed his joy.Peggy Gray was watching him, and in whispers implored him to stop,



but Mrs. Dan excitedly urged him to continue until the luck changed. To the girl 's chagrin i t was the more reckless advicethat he fol lowed. In so desperate a si tuat ion he fel t that hecould not stop. But his luck turned too soon.

"I can' t afford to give up," he said, miserably, to himself , after

a t ime. "I 'm already a winner by five thousand dollars, and I mustat least get r id of that ."

Brewster became the center of interest to those who were not playing and people marveled at his luck. They quite misunderstoodhis eagerness and the f lushed, anxious look with which he fol lowedeach spin of the wheel . He had chosen a seat beside an Englishduchess whose pract ice i t was to appropriate the winnings of themore inexperienced players, and he was aware that many of his gold pieces were being deliberately s tolen. Here he thought was at

least a helping hand, and he was on the point of moving his stack toward her side when DeMille interfered. He had watched theduchess, and had cal led the croupier 's at tent ion to her neatl i t t le method. But that austere individual si lenced him by sayingin surprise, "Mais c 'est madame la duchesse, que voulez-vous?"

Not to be downed so easily, DeMille watched the play from behindMonty's chair and cautioned his fr iend at the f i rst opportunity.

"Better cash in and change your seat , Monty. They're robbing you,"he whispered.

"Cash in when I 'm away ahead of the game? Never!" and Monty didhis best to assume a joyful tone.

At f i rst he played with no effort at system, pi l ing his money flaton the numbers which seemed to have least chance of winning. Buthe simply could not lose. Then he tr ied to reverse differentsystems he had heard of, but they turned out to be winners.Final ly in desperat ion he began doubling on one color in the hopethat he would surely lose in the end, but his part icular fate was

against him. With his ent ire stake on the red the bal l continuedto fal l into the red holes unti l the croupier announced that the bank was broken.

Dan DeMille gathered in the money and counted forty thousanddollars before he handed i t to Monty. His fr iends were overjoyedwhen he left the table, and wondered why he looked so downhearted.



Inwardly he berated himself for not taking Peggy's advice.

"I 'm so glad for your sake that you did not stop when I asked you,Monty, but your luck does not change my bel ief that gambling isnext to steal ing," Peggy was constrained to say as they went tosupper.

"I wish I had taken your advice," he said gloomily.

"And missed the fortune you have won? How foolish of you, Monty!You were a loser by several thousand dollars then," she objectedwith whimsical inconsistency.

"But, Peggy," he said quiet ly, looking deep into her eyes, "i twould have won me your respect ."

CHAPTER XXI

FAIRYLAND

Monty's si tuat ion was desperate. Only a l i t t le more than sixthousand dollars had been spent on the carnival and no opportunityof annihi lat ing the roulet te winnings seemed to offer i tself . Hisexperience at Monte Carlo did not encourage him to t ry again, andPeggy's at t i tude toward the place was dist inct ly antagonist ic . TheRiviera presenting no new opportunit ies for extravagance, i t became necessary to seek other worlds.

"I never before understood the real meaning of the phrase ' t ightmoney, '" thought Monty. "Lord, i f i t would only loosen a bi t andstay loosened." Something must be done, he real ized, to earn hisl iving. Perhaps the role of the princely profl igate would be

easier in I taly than anywhere else. He studied the outlook fromevery point of view, but there were moments when i t seemedhopeless. Baedeker was provokingly barren of suggest ions for extravagance and Monty grew impatient of the book's smalleconomies. Noticing some chapters on the I tal ian lakes, in aninspired moment he remembered that Pet t ingi l l had once lost hisheart to a vi l la on the Lake of Como. Instant ly a new act of



comedy presented i tself to him. He sought out Pet t ingi l l anddemanded a descript ion of his cast le in the air .

"Oh, i t 's a wonder," exclaimed the art ist , and his eyes grewdreamy. "It shines out at you with i ts white terraces and turretsl ike those fascinat ing cast les that Maxfield Parrish draws for

chi ldren. I t is fairyland. You expect to wake and find i t gone."

"Oh, drop that , Pet ty," said Brewster, "or i t wil l make you poetical . What I want to know is who owns it and is i t l ikely to be occupied at this season?"

"It belongs to a certain marquise, who is a widow with nochildren. They say she has a horror of the place for some reasonand has never been near i t . I t is kept as though she was to turnup the next day, but except for the servants i t is always

deserted."

"The very thing," declared Brewster; "Pet ty, we'l l have a house- party."

"You'd bet ter not count on that , Monty. A man I know ran acrossthe place once and tr ied for a year to buy i t . But the lady hasideas of her own."

"Well , i f you wish to give him a hint or two about how to dothings, watch me. If you don't spend two weeks in your dream-cast le , I wil l cut the crowd and sai l for home." He secured thename of the owner, and found that Pet t ingi l l had even a remoteidea of the address of her agent . Armed with these facts he setout in search of a courier , and through Phil ippe he secured aFrenchman named Bert ier , who was guaranteed to be surprisinglyingenious in providing methods of spending money. To him Brewster confided his scheme, and Bert ier real ized with r ising enthusiasmthat at last he had secured a cl ient after his own heart . He wasable to complete the address of the agent of the mysteriousmarquise, and an inquiry was immediately telegraphed to him.

The agent 's reply would have been discouraging to any one butBrewster. I t stated that the owner had no intent ion of leasing her forsaken cast le for any period whatever. The profl igate learnedthat a fair price for an estate of that kind for a month was tenthousand francs, and he wired an offer of f ive t imes that sum for two weeks. The agent repl ied that some delay would be necessary



while he communicated with his principal . Delay was the one wordthat Brewster did not understand, so he wired him an address inGenoa, and the "Fli t ter" was made ready for sea. Steam had beenkept up, and her coal account would compare favorably with that of an ocean l iner. Phil ippe was breathless with joy when he was paidin advance for another month at the hotel , on the assumption that

the party might be moved to return at any moment. The l i t t le townwas gay at part ing and Brewster and his guests were given a royalfarewell .

At Genoa the mail had accumulated and held the at tent ion of theyacht to the exclusion of everything else. Brewster was somewhatcrestfal len to learn that the lady of the vi l la haughti ly refusedhis princely offer . He won the l i fe-long devotion of his courier by promptly increasing i t to one hundred thousand francs. Whenthis too met with reject ion, there was a pause and a serious

consultat ion between the two.

"Bert ier ," exclaimed Brewster, "I must have the thing now. What 'sto be done? You've got to help me out ."

But the courier , prodigal as he was of gestures, had no wordswhich seemed pert inent .

"There must be some way of get t ing at this marquise," Montycontinued reflect ively. "What are her tastes? Do you know anythingabout her?"

Suddenly the face of the courier grew bright . "I have i t ," hesaid, and then he fal tered. "But the expense, monsieur--i t would be heavy."

"Perhaps we can meet i t ," suggested Monty, quiet ly. "What 's theidea?"

It was explained, with plenty of act ion to make i t c lear. Thecourier had heard in Florence that madame la marquise had a

passion for automobiles. But with her inadequate fortune and themany demands upon i t , i t was a weakness not readily grat if ied. Themachine she had used during the winter was by no means up-to-date.Possibly i f Monsieur--yet i t was too much--no vi l la--

But Brewster 's decision was made. "Wire the fel low," he said,"that I wil l add to my last offer a French machine of the latest



model and the best make. Say, too, that I would l ike immediate possession."

He secured i t , and the crowd was transferred at once to fairyland.There were protests, of course, but these Brewster had grown toexpect and he was learning to carry things with a high hand. The

travelers had been preceded by Bert ier , and the greet ing theyreceived from the steward of the estate and his innumerableassistants was very I tal ian and ful l of color. A break in their monotony was welcome.

The lovel iness of the vi l la and i ts grounds, which sloped down tothe gentle lake, si lenced cri t icism. For a t ime i t was supremelysat isfying to do nothing. Pet t ingi l l wandered about as though hecould not bel ieve i t was real . He was lost in a kind of atmosphereof ecstasy. To the others, who took i t more calmly, i t was st i l l a

sort of paradise. Those who were happy found in i t anintensificat ion of happiness, and to those who were s ad i t offeredthe tenderest opportunit ies for melancholy. Mrs. Dan told Brewster that only a poet could have had this inspirat ion. And Peggy added,"Anything after this would be an ant i-cl imax. Really, Monty, youwould bet ter take us home."

"I feel l ike the boy who was shut in a closet for punishment andfound i t the place where they kept the jam," said "Subway." "It isalmost as good as owning Central Park."

The stables were well equipped and the days wore on in a wonderful peace. I t was on a radiant afternoon, when twelve of the crowd hadstarted out , after tea, for a long ride toward Lugano, that Montydetermined to cal l Peggy Gray to account . He was certain that shehad del iberately avoided him for days and weeks, and he could f indno reason for i t . Hour after hour he had lain awake wonderingwhere he had fai led her, but the conclusion of one moment wasrejected the next . The Monte Carlo episode seemed the most plausible cause, yet even before that he had noticed that whenever he approached her she managed to be talking with some one else.

Two or three t imes he was sure she had seen his intent ion beforeshe took refuge with Mrs. Dan or Mary Valentine or Pet t ingi l l . Thethought of the last name gave Monty a sudden thri l l . What i f i twere he who had come between them? It troubled him, but there weremoments when the idea seemed impossible. As they mounted andstarted off , the exhilarat ion of the r ide made him hopeful . Theywere to have dinner in the open air in the shadow of an abbey ruin



some miles away, and the servants had been sent ahead to preparei t . I t went well , and with Mrs. Dan's help the dinner was madegay. On the return Monty who was off last spurred up his horse to join Peggy. She seemed eager to be with the rest and he lost not ime with a preamble.

"Do you know, Peggy," he began, "something seems to be wrong, andI am wondering what i t is ."

"Why, what do you mean, Monty?" as he paused.

"Every t ime I come near you, chi ld, you seem to have somethingelse to do. If I join the group you are in, i t is the signal for you to break away."

"Nonsense, Monty, why should I avoid you? We have known one

another much too long for that ." But he thought he detected somecontradict ion in her eyes, and he was r ight . The girl was afraidof him, afraid of the sensat ions he awoke, afraid desperately of betrayal .

"Pet t ingi l l may appeal to you," he said, and his voice wasserious, "but you might at least be courteous to me."

"How absurd you are, Monty Brewster." The girl grew hot . "Youneedn't think that your mil l ion gives you the privi lege of dictat ing to al l of your guests."

"Peggy, how can you," he interjected.

She went on ruthlessly. "If my conduct interferes with your highness 's pleasure I can easi ly join the Prestons in Paris."

Suddenly Brewster remembered that Pet t ingi l l had spoken of thePrestons and expressed a f leet ing wish that he might be with themin the Latin Quarter . "With Pet t ingi l l to fol low, I suppose," hesaid, ic i ly. "It would certainly give you more privacy."

"And Mrs. Dan more opportunit ies," she retorted as he dropped back toward the others.

The art ist instant ly took his place. The next moment he hadchallenged her to a race and they were f lying down the road in themoonlight . Brewster, not to be outdone, was after them, but i t was



only a moment before his horse shied violent ly at something black in the road. Then he saw Peggy's horse gal loping riderless.Instant ly, with fear at his throat , he had dismounted and was atthe girl 's side. She was not hurt , they found, only bruised anddazed and somewhat lamed. A girth had broken and her saddleturned. The crowd waited, si lent and somewhat awed, unti l the

carriage with the servants came up and she was put into i t . Mrs.Dan's maid was there and Peggy insisted that she would have no oneelse. But as Monty helped her in, he had whispered, "You won't go,chi ld, wil l you? How could things go on here?"

CHAPTER XXII

PRINCE AND PEASANTS

The peacefulness of fairyland was something which Brewster couldnot afford to continue, and with Bert ier he was soon planning toinvade i t , The automobile which he was obliged to order for themysterious marquise put other ideas into his head. I t seemed atonce absolutely necessary to give a coaching party in I taly, andas coaches of the r ight kind were hard to f ind there, and changesof horses most uncertain, nothing could be more simple and naturalthan to import automobiles from Paris. Looking into the matter , hefound that they would have to be purchased outright , as therenting of f ive machines would put his credi t to too severe atest . Accordingly Bert ier telegraphed a wholesale order, whichtaxed the resources of the manufacturers and caused much complaintfrom some customers whose work was unaccountably delayed. Thearrangement made by the courier was that they were to be taken back at a great ly reduced price at the end of six weeks. Themachines were shipped at once, f ive to Milan, and one to theaddress of the mysterious marquise in Florence.

It was with a sharp regret that Monty broke into the idyl of thevil la , for the witchery of the place had got into his blood. But astern sense of duty, combined with the fact that the Parischauffeurs and machines were due in Milan on Monday, made himruthless. He was astonished that his orders to decamp were someekly obeyed, forget t ing that his sol ici tous guests did not know



that worse extravagance lay beyond. He took them to Milan by trainand lodged them with some s plendor at the Hotel Cavour. Here hefound that the fame of the princely profl igate had preceded him,and his port ly host was al l deference and at tent ion. All regret ,too, for monsieur was just too late to hear the wonderful companyof art ists who had been singing at La Scala. The season was but

just ended. Here was an opportunity missed indeed, and Brewster 'svexation brought out an ironical comment to Bert ier . I t rankled, but i t had its effect. The courier proved equal to the emergency.Discovering that the manager of the company and the principalart ists were st i l l in Milan, he suggested to Brewster that aspecial performance would be very diff icul t to secure, but mightst i l l be possible. His chief caught at the idea and authorized himto make every arrangement, reserving the ent ire house for his own party.

"But the place wil l look bare," protested the courier , aghast .

"Fil l i t with f lowers, cover i t with tapestr ies," commandedBrewster. "I put the affair in your hands, and I t rust you tocarry i t through in the r ight way. Show them how i t ought to bedone."

Bert ier 's heart swelled within him at the thought of so gloriousan opportunity. His fame, he fel t , was already establ ished inItaly. I t became a matter of pride to do the thing handsomely, andthe necessary business arrangements cal led out al l his unusedresources of del icacy and diplomacy. When i t came to thedecorat ion of the opera house, he cal led upon Pett ingi l l for assistance, and together they superintended an arrangement whichcurtained off a large part of the place and reduced i t to l ivable proport ions. With the f lowers and the lights, the tapestr ies andthe great faded flags, i t became something quite different fromthe usual empty theater .

To the consternat ion of the I tal ians, the work had been rushed,and i t was on the evening after their arrival in Milan that

Brewster conducted his fr iends in state to the Scala. I t wasalmost a t r iumphal progress, for he had generously i f unwit t inglygiven the town the most princely sensat ion in years, and curiosi tywas abundant . Mrs. Valentine, who was in the carriage with Monty,wondered openly why they were at t ract ing so much at tent ion.

"They take us for American dukes and princesses," explained Monty.



"They never saw a white man before."

"Perhaps they expected us to r ide on buffaloes," said Mrs. Dan,"with Indian captives in our t rain."

"No," "Subway" Smith protested, "I seem to s ee disappointment in

their faces. They are looking for crowns and scepters and a shower of gold coin. Really, Monty, you don't play the game as youshould. Why, I could give you points on the potentate act myself .A milk-white steed, a few clat tering at tendants in gorgeousuniforms, a lofty nod here and there, and l i t t le me distr ibut ingsi lver in the rear."

"I wonder," exclaimed Mrs. Dan, "if they don't get t i red now andthen of being potentates. Can't you fancy l iving in palaces andlonging for a thatched cot tage?"

"Easi ly," answered "Subway," with a laugh. "Haven't we tr ied i tourselves? Two months of l iving upon nothing but fat ted calves ismore than I can stand. We shal l be ready for a home for dyspepticsif you can' t slow down a bi t , Monty."

Whereupon Mrs. Dan evolved a plan, and promptly began to carry i tout by invit ing the crowd to dinner the next night . Monty protested that they would be leaving Milan in the afternoon, andthat this was dist inct ly his affair and he was self ish.

But Mrs. Dan was very sure. "My dear boy, you can' t have thingsyour own way every minute. In another month you wil l be quitespoiled. Anything to prevent that . My duty is plain. Even if Ihave to use heroic measures, you dine with me to-morrow."

Monty recognized defeat when he met i t , and graciously acceptedher very kind invitat ion. The next moment they drew up at theopera house and were ushered in with a deference accorded only towealth. The splendor of the effect was overpowering to Brewster aswell as to his bewildered guests. Aladdin, i t seemed, had fair ly

outdone himself . The wonder of i t was so complete that i t was sometime before they could set t le down to the opera, which was Aida,given with an enthusiasm that only I tal ians can compass.

During the last intermission Brewster and Peggy were walking inthe foyer. They had rarely spoken since the day of the r ide, butMonty noticed with happiness that she had on several occasions



avoided Pet t ingi l l .

"I thought we had given up fairyland when we left the lakes, but I believe you carry it with you," she said.

"The trouble with this," Monty repl ied, "is that there are too

many people about . My fairyland is to be just a l i t t le different ."

"Your fairyland, Monty, wil l be buil t of gold and paved withsi lver. You wil l si t a l l day cut t ing coupons in an office of alabaster ."

"Peggy, do you too think me vulgar? I t 's a beast ly parade, I know, but i t can't s top now. You don't realize the momentum of thething."

"You do i t up to the handle," she put in. "And you are much toogenerous to be vulgar. But i t worries me, Monty, i t worries medesperately. I t 's the future I 'm thinking of--your future, whichis being swallowed up. This kind of thing can' t go on. And what isto fol low i t? You are wast ing your substance, and you are notmaking any l i fe for yourself that opens out ."

"Peggy," he answered very seriously, "you have got to t rust me. Ican' t back out , but I ' l l te l l you this. You shal l not bedisappointed in me in the end."

There was a mist before the girl 's eyes as she looked at him. "I believe you, Monty," she said simply; "I shall not forget ."

The curtain rose upon the next act , and something in the operatoward the end seemed to bring the two very close together. Asthey were leaving the theater , there was a note of regret fromPeggy. "It has been perfect ," she breathed, "yet , Monty, isn ' t i ta waste that no one else should have seen i t? Think of these poverty-str icken peasants who adore music and have never heard anopera."

"Well , they shal l hear one now." Monty rose to i t , but he fel tl ike a hypocri te in conceal ing his chief motive. "We'l l repeat the performance to-morrow night and fi l l the house with them."

He was as good as his word. Bert ier was given a task the next daywhich was not to his taste . But with the assistance of the ci ty



authori t ies he carried i t through. To them i t was an evidence of insanity, but there was something princely about i t and they weretolerant . The manager of the opera house was less complacent , andhe had an exclamatory terror of the damage to his upholstery. ButBrewster had discovered that in I taly gold is a panacea for al li l ls , and his prescript ions were l iberal . To him the day was

short , for Peggy's interest in the penance, as i t came to becal led, was so keen that she insisted on having a hand in the prel iminaries. There was something about the partnership thatappealed to Monty.

To her regret the DeMille dinner interfered with the opening of the performance, but Monty consoled her with the promise that theopera and i ts democrat ic audience should fol low. During the dayMrs. Dan had been deep in preparat ions for her banquet , but her plans were elaborately concealed. They culminated at eight o 'clock

in the Cova not far from the Scala, and the dinner was eaten inthe garden to the sound of music. Yet i t was an effect of simplici ty with which Mrs. Dan surprised her guests. They were prepared for anything but that , and when they were served withconsomme, spaghett i --a concession to the chef--and chops and peas,fol lowed by a salad and coffee, the grat i tude of the crowd wasquite beyond expression. In a burst of enthusiasm "Subway" Smithsuggested a test imonial .

Monty complained bi t terly that he himself had never received aghost of a test imonial . He protested that i t was not deserved.

"Why should you expect i t?" exclaimed Pett ingi l l , "when you haverisen from terrapin and art ichokes to chops and chicory? When haveyou given us nectar and ambrosia l ike this?"

Monty was defeated by a unanimous vote and Mrs. Dan's test imonialwas assured. This matter set t led, Peggy and Mrs. Valentine, withBrewster and Pet t ingi l l , walked over to the Scala and heard againthe last two acts of Aida. But the audience was different , and theapplause.

The next day at noon the chauffeurs from Paris reported for duty,and five gleaming French devil-wagons steamed off through thecrowd in the direct ion of Venice. Through Brescia and Verona andVicenza they passed, scat tering largess of si lver in their wakeand leaving a t rai l of breathless wonder. Brewster found the pacetoo fast and by the t ime they reached Venice he had a wistful



longing to take this radiant country more slowly. "But this is purely a business tr ip," he thought , "and I can' t expect to enjoyit . Some day I ' l l come back and do i t different ly. I could spendhours in a gondola i f the blamed things were not more expensive bythe tr ip."

It was there that he was suddenly recal led to his duty from dreamsof moonlight on the water by a cablegram which demanded $324.00 before i t could be read. I t contained word for word the parable of the ten talents and ended with the simple word "Jones."

CHAPTER XXIII

AN OFFER OF MARRIAGE

The summer is scarcely a good t ime to visi t Egypt , but Monty andhis guests had a desire to see even a l i t t le of the northern coastof Africa. I t was decided, therefore, that after Athens, the"Fli t ter" should go south. The yacht had met them at Naples after the automobile procession,--a kind of t r iumphal progress,--wasdisbanded in Florence, and they had taken a hurried survey of Rome. By the middle of July the party was leaving the heat of Egypt and finding i t not half bad. New York was not more than amonth away as Brewster reckoned t ime and distance, and there wasst i l l too much money in the t reasury. As September drew nearer hegot into the habit of frequently forget t ing Swearengen Jones unti li t was too late to retrace his steps. He was coming to the "deathstruggle," as he termed i t , and there was something rather terrorizing in the fear that "the mil l ion might die hard." And sothese last days and nights were glorious ones, i f one could havelooked at them with unbiased, untroubled eyes. But every member of his party was praying for the day when the "Fli t ter" would be well

into the broad Atlant ic and the worst over. At Alexandria Brewster had let ters to some Englishmen, and in the few entertainments thathe gave succeeded once again in fair ly outdoing Aladdin.

A sheik from the interior was a guest at one of Monty'sentertainments. He was a burly, hot-blooded fel low, with adensely-populated harem, and he had been invited more as a



curiosi ty than as one to be honored. As he came aboard the"Fli t ter ," Monty bel ieved the invi tat ion was more than just i f ied.Mohammed was superb, and the women of the party made so much of him that i t was small wonder that his head was turned. He fel ldesperately in love with Peggy Gray on sight , and with al l thecomposure of a potentate who had never been crossed he sent for

Brewster the next day and told him to "send her around" and hewould marry her. Monty's blood boiled furiously for a minute or two, but he was quick to see the wisdom of t reat ing the proposi tion diplomatically. He tr ied to make i t plain to the sheik that Miss Gray could not accept the honor he wished to confer uponher, but i t was not Mohammed's custom to be denied anything heasked for--especial ly anything feminine. He complacently announcedthat he would come aboard that afternoon and talk i t over withPeggy.

Brewster looked the swarthy gentleman over with unconcealeddisgust in his eyes. The mere thought of this ugly brute so muchas touching the hand of l i t t le Peggy Gray fi l led him with horror,and yet there was s omething laughable in the si tuat ion. He couldnot hide the smile that came with the mind picture of Peggylistening to the avowal of the sheik. The Arab misinterpreted thisexhibi t ion of mirth. To him the grin indicated fr iendship andencouragement. He wanted to give Brewster a r ing as a pledge of affect ion, but the American decl ined the offering, and alsorefused to carry a bag of jewels to Peggy.

"I ' l l le t the old boy come aboard just to see Peggy look a holethrough him," he resolved. "No matter how obnoxious i t may be, i tisn ' t every girl who can say an oriental potentate has asked her to marry him. If this camel-herder gets disagreeable we may tumblehim into the sea for a change."

With the best grace possible he invi ted the sheik to come aboardand consult Miss Gray in person. Mohammed was a good bi t puzzledover the int imation that i t would be necessary for him to pleadfor anything he had expressed a desire to possess. Brewster

confided the news to "Rip" Van Winkle and "Subway" Smith, who hadgone ashore with him, and the t r io agreed that i t would be goodsport to let the royal proposal come as a surprise to Peggy. VanWinkle returned to the yacht at once, but his companions stayedashore to do some shopping. When they approached the "Fli t ter"later on they observed an unusual commotion on deck.



Mohammed had not tarried long after their departure. He gatheredhis t rain together, selected a few cost ly presents that had beenreturned from the harem and advanced on the boat without delay.The captain of the "Fli t ter" stared long and hard at the gai ly bedecked launches and then called to his f i rst officer. Together they watched the ceremonious approach. A couple of brown-faced

heralds came aboard fi rst and announced the approach of the mightychief. Captain Perry went forward to greet the sheik as he cameover the side of the ship, but he was brushed aside by the advanceguards. Half a hundred swarthy fel lows crowded aboard and thencame the sheik, the personificat ion of pomp and pride.

"Where is she?" he asked in his nat ive tongue. The passengers were by this t ime aware of the visitat ion, and began to straggle ondeck, f i l led with curiosi ty. "What the devil do you mean by comingaboard in this manner?" demanded the now irate Captain Perry,

shoving a couple of retainers out of his path and facing the beaming sui tor. An interpreter took a hand at this juncture andthe doughty captain f inal ly was made to understand the object of the visi t . He laughed in the sheik 's face and told the mate tocal l up a few jackies to drive the "dagoes" off . "Rip" Van Winkleinterfered and peace was restored. The cruise had changed "Rip"into a happier and far more radiant creature, so i t was onlynatural that he should have shared the secret with Mary Valentine.He had told the story of the sheik 's demand to her as soon as hecame aboard, and she had divulged i t to Peggy the instant "Rip"was out of sight .

Brewster found the sheik si t t ing in state on the upper deck impatient ly await ing the appearance of his charmer. He did notknow her name, but he had tranquil ly commanded "Rip" to produceal l of the women on board so that he might select Peggy from amongthem. Van Winkle and Bragdon, who now was in the secret , were preparing to march the ladies past the ruler when Monty came up.

"Has he seen Peggy?" he asked of Van Winkle.

"Not yet . She is dressing for the occasion."

"Well , wait and see what happens to him when she gets over thefirst shock," laughed Monty.

Just then the sheik discovered Peggy, who, pret ty as a picture,drew near the strange group. To her amazement two slaves rushed



forward and obstructed her passage long enough to beat their headson the deck a few t imes, after which they arose and tendered twomagnificent necklaces. She was prepared for the proposal , but thisact ion disconcerted her; she gasped and looked about in perplexity. Her fr iends were smil ing broadly and the sheik had placed his hands over his palpitating heart .

"Lothario has a pain," whispered "Rip" Van Winkle sympathet ical ly,and Brewster laughed. Peggy did not hesi tate an instant after hearing the laugh. She walked straight toward the sheik. Her cheeks were pink and her eyes were f lashing dangerously. The persistent brown slaves fol lowed with the jewels, but she ignoredthem completely. Brave as she intended to be, she could notrepress the shudder of repulsion that went over her as she lookedfull upon this eager Arab.

Graceful and slender she stood before the burly Mohammed, but hisardor was not cooled by the presence of so many witnesses. With athud he dropped to his knees, wabbling for a moment in thesuccessful effort to maintain a poet ic equil ibrium. Then he began pouring forth volumes of shattered French, English and Arabicsentiment , accompanied by facial contort ions so intense that theywere l i t t le less than gruesome.

"Oh, joy of the sun supreme, jewel of the only eye, hearken to theentreaty of Mohammed." I t was more as i f he were commanding histroops in bat t le than pleading for the tender compassion of a ladylove. "I am come for you, queen of the sea and earth and sky. My boats are here, my camels there, and Mohammed promises you a palace in the sun-li t hil ls if you wil l but let him bask forever in the glory of your smile." All this was ut tered in a mixture of tongues so atrocious that "Subway" Smith afterward described i t asa salad. The ret inue bowed impressively and two or three gracelessAmericans applauded as vigorously as i f they were approving theact ions of a well-dri l led comic opera chorus. Sai lors were hangingin the r igging, on the davits and over the deck house roof.

"Smile for the gentleman, Peggy," commanded Brewster del ightedly."He wants to take a short bask."

"You are very rude, Mr. Brewster," said Peggy, turning upon himcoldly. Then to the wait ing, expectant sheik: "What is the meaningof this eloquence?"



Mohammed looked bewildered for a moment and then turned to theinterpreter , who cleared up the mystery surrounding her English.For the next three or four minutes the air was f i l led with the"Jewels of Africa," "Star," "Sunlight ," "Queen," "Heavenly Joy,""Pearl of the Desert ," and other things in bad English, worseFrench, and perfect Arabic. He was making promises that could not

be redeemed if he lived a thousand years. In conclusion thegallant sheik drew a long breath, s crewed his face into asimpering grin and played his t rump card in unmistakable English.I t sounded pathet ical ly l ike "You're a peach."

An indecorous roar went up from the white spectators and a jackyin the r igging, suddenly thinking of home, piped up with a bar or two from "The Star Spangled Banner."

Having accomplished what he considered to be his part of the

ceremony the sheik arose and started toward his launch, coollymotioning for her to fol low. So far as he was concerned the matter was closed. But Peggy, her heart thumping l ike a t r ip-hammer, her eyes ful l of exci tement, implored him to stop for a moment.

"I appreciate this great honor, but I have a request to make," shesaid clearly. Mohammed paused irresolutely and in some irr i tat ion.

"Here 's where the heathen gets i t among the beads," whisperedMonty to Mrs. Dan, and he cal led out: "Captain Perry, detai l half a dozen men to pick up the beads that are about to sl ip from hismajesty 's neck."

CHAPTER XXIV

THE SHEIK'S STRATEGY

Peggy gave the sheik an entrancing smile, fol lowed by a brief glance at the beaming Miss Valentine, who nodded her headapprovingly.

"Won't you give me t ime to go below and pack my belongings thatthey may be sent ashore?" she asked naively.



"Thunder!" gasped Monty. "That 's no way to turn him down."

"What do you mean, Monty Brewster?" she cried, turning upon himwith f lashing eyes.

"Why, you're encouraging the old guy," he protested,disappointment in every inflect ion.

"And what i f I am? Isn' t i t my affair? I think I am right insuspect ing that he has asked me to be his wife. Isn ' t i t my privi lege to accept him if I wish?"

Brewster 's face was a study. He could not bel ieve that she was inearnest , but there was a ghast ly feel ing that the joke was beingturned on him. The rest of the company stared hard at the f lushed

Peggy and breathlessly waited developments.

"It won't do to t r i f le with this chap, Peggy," said Monty, comingquite close to her. "Don't lead him on. He might get nasty i f hethinks you're making sport of him."

"You are quite absurd, Monty," she cried, petulant ly. "I am notmaking sport of him."

"Well , then, why don't you tel l him to go about his business?"

"I don't see any beads lying around loose," said "Rip"tormentingly. The sheik impatient ly said something to theinterpreter and that worthy repeated i t for Peggy's benefi t .

"The Son of the Prophet desires that you be as quick as possible,Queen of the World. He t i res of wait ing and commands you to comewith him at once."

Peggy winced and her eyes shot a brief look of scorn at thescowling sheik. In an instant , however, she was smil ing agreeably

and was turning toward the steps.

"Holy mackerel! Where are you going, Peggy?" cried Lotless, thefirst to turn fearful .

"To throw some things into my trunk," she responded air i ly. "Willyou come with me, Mary?"



"Peggy!" cried Brewster angri ly. "This has gone far enough."

"You should have spoken sooner, Monty," she said quiet ly.

"What are you going to do, Margaret?" cried Mrs. Dan, her eyes

wide with amazement.

"I am going to marry the Son of the Prophet ," she repl ied sodecidedly that every one gasped. A moment later she was surrounded by a group of exci ted women, and Captain Perry was cal ling the"jackies" forward in a voice of thunder.

Brewster pushed his way to her side, his face as white as death.

"This isn ' t a joke, Peggy," he cried. "Go below and I ' l l get r id

of the sheik."

Just then the burly Algerian asserted himself . He did not l ike theway in which his adored one was being handled by the "white dogs,"and with two spearmen he rushed up to Brewster, jabbering angri ly.

"Stand back, you idiot , or I ' l l punch your head off ," saidBrewster, with sudden emphasis.

I t was not unt i l this moment that Peggy real ized that there might be a serious side to the li t t le farce she and Mary had decided to play for the punishment of Brewster. Terror suddenly took the place of mirth, and she clung frantical ly to Monty's arm. "I was joking, Monty, only joking," she cried. "Oh, what have I done?"

"It 's my faul t ," he exclaimed, "but I ' l l take care of you, never fear."

"Stand aside!" roared the sheik threateningly.

The si tuat ion was ominous. Frightened as they were the women could

not f lee, but stood as i f petri f ied. Sai lors eagerly swarmed tothe deck.

"Get off this boat ," said Monty, ominously calm, to theinterpreter , "or we'l l pi tch you and your whole mob into the sea."

"Keep cool! Keep cool!" cried "Subway" Smith quickly. He stepped



between Brewster and the angry suitor, and that action alone prevented serious trouble. While he parleyed with the sheik Mrs.DeMille hurried Peggy to a safe place below deck, and they werefol lowed by a f lock of shivering women. Poor Peggy was almost intears and the pi teous glances she threw at Brewster when hestepped between her and the impetuous sheik, who had started to

fol low, struck deep into his heart and made him ready to f ight tothe death for her.

I t took nearly an hour to convince the Algerian that Peggy hadmisunderstood him and that American women were not to be wooedafter the African fashion. He final ly departed with his ent iretrain, thoroughly dissat isfied and in high dudgeon. At f i rst hethreatened to take her by force; then he agreed to give her another day in which to make up her mind to go with him peaceably,and again he concluded that a bird in the hand was worth two in

the bush.

Brewster stood gloomily on the outside of the exci ted groupglowering upon the ugly sui tor. Cooler heads had relegated him tothis place of securi ty during the diplomatic contest . The sheik 'sthreats of vengeance were direful . He swore by somebody's beardthat he would bring ten thousand men to establ ish his claim byforce. His intense desire to f ight for her then and there wasquelled by Captain Perry 's detachment of six lusty sai lors, whose big bare f ists were shaken vigorously under a few startled noses.I t took al l the f ight out of the sheik and his t rain. Threeretainers fel l into the sea while t rying to retreat as far as possible from danger.

Mohammed departed with the i rate declarat ion that he would comeanother day and that the whole world would tremble at hisapproach. Disgusted with himself and afraid to meet the eyes of the other men, Brewster went below in search of Peggy. He took t ime to comfort the anxious women who crowded about him and thenasked for Miss Gray. She was in her stateroom and would not comeforth. When he knocked at the door a dismal, t roubled voice from

within told him to go away.

"Come out , Peggy; i t 's a l l over," he cal led.

"Please go away, Monty," she said.

"What are you doing in there?" There was a long pause, and then



came the pi t i ful l i t t le wail : "I am unpacking, please, si r ."

That night Brewster entertained on board the yacht , severalresident French and English acquaintances being the guests of honor. The story of the day was told by Mrs. Dan DeMille ,commissioned especial ly for the duty. She painted the scene so

vividly that the guests laughed with joy over the discomfiture of the sheik. Peggy and Brewster found themselves looking sheepishlyat one another now and then in the course of the reci tal . She purposely had avoided him during the evening, but she had gamelyendured the rai l lery that came from the rest of the party. If shewas a bi t pale, i t was not surprising. Now that i t was over thewhole affair appalled her more than she could have suspected. Whenseveral of the guests of the evening soberly announced thatMohammed was a dangerous man and even an object of worry to thegovernment she fel t a strange catch in her throat and her now

mirthless eyes turned inst inct ively to Brewster, who, i t seemed,was the sheik 's special object of aversion.

The next day she and Monty talked i t over. The penitence of bothwas beautiful to behold. Each denied the other the privi lege of assuming al l the blame and both were so happy that Mohammed wasl i t t le more than a preposi t ion in their conversat ion so far as prominence was concerned. But all day long the harbor was ful l of f isher boats, and at nightfal l they st i l l were lol l ing about ,sinister , rest less, mysterious l ike purposeless buzzards. And thedark men on board were taking up no fish, nei ther were theyminding the nets that lay dry and folded in the bottom of their boats.

Far into the night there was revelry on board the "Fli t ter ," moreguests having come out from the ci ty. The dark hours before thedawn of day had arrived before they put off for shore, but thefisher boats st i l l were bobbing about in the black waters of theharbor. The l ights gradually disappeared from the port-holes of the yacht , and the t i red watch was about to be rel ieved. MontyBrewster and Peggy remained on deck after the guests had gone over

the side of the vessel . They were leaning over the rai l aftl istening to the jovial voices of the visi tors as they grewfainter and fainter in the distance. The l ights of the town werefew, but they could plainly be seen from the offing.

"Are you t i red, Peggy?" asked Brewster, with a touch of tenderness. Somehow of late he had often fel t a strange desire to



take her in his arms, and now i t was strong upon him. She was verynear, and there was a drooping weariness in her at t i tude whichseemed to demand protect ion.

"I have a queer feel ing that something awful is going to happento-night , Monty," she answered, t rouble in her soft voice.

"You're nervous, that 's al l ," he said, "and you should get tosleep. Good-night ." Their hands touched in the darkness, and thethri l l that went over him told a t ruth of which he had been onlyvaguely conscious. The power of i t made him exultant . Yet when hethought of her and her too quiet affect ion for him i t left himdespondent .

Something bumped against the side of the ship and a grat ing soundfollowed. Then came other gentle thuds combined with the soft

swish of water disturbed. Peggy and Brewster were on the point of going below when their at tent ion was caught by these strangesounds.

"What is i t?" she asked as they paused irresolutely. He strode tothe rai l , the gir l fol lowing close behind him. Three sharp l i t t lewhist les came from above and behind them, but before they had t imeeven to speculate as to their meaning the resul t was in evidence.

Over the sides of the ship came shadowy forms as i f by magic; attheir backs panther-l ike bodies dropped to the deck with steal thythuds, as i f coming from the inky sky above. There was an instantof dreadful calm and then the crisis. A dozen sinewy forms hurledthemselves upon Brewster, who, taken completely by surprise, wasthrown to the deck in an instant , his at tempt to cry out for help being checked by heavy hands. Peggy's scream was cut off quickly,and paralyzed by terror, she fel t herself engulfed in strong armsand smothered into si lence. I t a l l happened so quickly that therewas no chance to give the alarm, no opportunity to resist .

Brewster fel t himself l i f ted bodily, and then there was the

sensat ion of fal l ing. He struck something forcibly with al l hisweight and fel l back with a crash to the deck. Afterward he foundthat the effort to throw him overboard had fai led only because hisassai lants in their haste had hurled him against an unseenstanchion. Peggy was borne forward and lowered swift ly into armsthat deposi ted her roughly upon something hard. There was a jerky,rocking motion, the sudden splash of oars, and then she knew no



more.

The invaders had planned with a craft iness and pat ience thatdeserved success. For hours they had waited, si lent ly, watchfully,and with deadly assurance. How they crept up to the "Fli t ter" insuch numbers and how the more daring came aboard long before the

blow was struck, no one ever explained. So quickly and soaccurately was the abduction performed that the boats were wellclear of the yacht before alarm was given by one of the watch whohad been overlooked in the careful assault .

Sleepy sai lors rushed on deck with a promptness that was amazing.Very quickly they had found and unbound Brewster, carried a coupleof wounded shipmates below and had Captain Perry in his pajamas ondeck to take command.

"The searchlight!" cried Brewster frant ical ly. "The devils havestolen Miss Gray."

While swift hands were lowering the boats for the chase otherswere carrying firearms on deck. The searchlight threw i ts mightywhite arm out over the water before many seconds had passed, andeager eyes were looking for the boats of the pi l lagers. The Arabshad reckoned without the searchlight . Their f ierce exultat ion diedsuddenly when the mysterious streak of l ight shot into the sky andthen swept down upon the sea, hunting them out of the darknessl ike a great relent less eye.

The "Fli t ter 's" boats were in the water and manned by sturdyoarsmen before the glad cry went up that the robber f leet had beendiscovered. They were so near the yacht that i t was evident thedusky tr ibesmen were poor oarsmen. In the clear l ight from theship's deck they could be seen paddling wildly, their white robesflut tering as though inspired by fear. There were four boats, a l lof them crowded to the gunwales.

"Keep the l ight on them, captain," shouted Monty from below. "Try

to pick out the boat that has Miss Gray on board. Pull away, boys!This means a hundred dollars to every one of you--yes, a thousandif we have to f ight for her!"

"Kil l every damned one of them, Mr. Brewster," roared the captain,who had ret i red behind a boat when he became aware of the presenceof women on deck.



Three boats shot away from the side of the yacht , Brewster and JoeBragdon in the f i rst , both armed with r i f les.

"Let 's take a shot at 'em," cried a sai lor who stood in the sternwith his f inger on a t r igger.

"Don't do that! We don't know what boat holds Peggy," commandedBrewster. "Keep cool , boys, and be ready to scrap if we have to."He was half mad with fear and anxiety, and he was determined toexterminate the bands of robbers i f harm came to the girl in their power.

"She 's in the second boat ," came the cry from the yacht , and thesearchlight was kept on that part icular object almost to theexclusion of the others. But Captain Perry saw the wisdom of

keeping al l of them clearly located in order to prevent t r ickery.

Brewster 's brawny sai lor boys came up l ike greyhounds, cheering asthey dashed among the boats of the fugit ives. Three or four shotswere f i red into the air by the zealous American lads, and therewere loud cries from the Arabs as they veered off panic-str icken.Monty's boat was now in the path of l ight and not far behind theone which held Peggy. He was standing in the bow.

"Take care of the others!" he cal led back to his fol lowers. "We'l lgo after the leaders."

The response from behind was a cheer, a half dozen shots and someof the most joyous profanity that ever fel l from the l ips of American sai lors, mingled with shrieks from the boats they were to"take care of."

"Stop!" Brewster shouted to the Arabs. "Stop, or we'l l ki l l everyone of you!" His boat was not more than fif ty feet from the other.

Suddenly a tal l , white-robed figure arose in the middle of the

Egyptian craft , and a moment later the pursuers saw Peggy's form passed up to him. She was instant ly clasped by one of his longarms, and the other was l i f ted high above her. A gleaming knifewas held in the upraised hand.

"Fire on us i f you dare!" came in French from the tal l Arab. "Dogof an American, she shal l die i f you come near her!"



CHAPTER XXV

THE RESCUE OF PEGGY

Brewster 's heart almost ceased beat ing, and every vest ige of color left his face. Clear and dist inct in the l ight from the yacht theArab and his burden were outl ined against the black screen beyond.There was no mistaking the earnestness of the threat , nor couldthe witnesses doubt the ghast ly intent ion of the long, cruel knifethat gleamed on high. Peggy's body served as a shield for that of

her captor. Brewster and Bragdon recognized the man as one of Mohammed's principal retainers, a f ierce-looking fel low who hadattracted more than usual at tent ion on the day of the sheik 'svisi t .

"For God's sake, don't ki l l her!" cried Brewster in agonizedtones. There was a diabolical grin on the face of the Arab, whowas about to shout back some defiant taunt when the unexpectedhappened.

The sharp crack of a gun sounded in the stern of Brewster 's boat ,and an unerring bullet sped straight for the big Arab's forehead.It crashed between his eyes and death must have beeninstantaneous. The knife f lew from his hand, his body straightenedand then col lapsed, toppling over, not among his oarsmen, butacross the gunwale of the craft . Before a hand could be l i f ted to prevent , the dead Arab and the girl were plunged into the sea.

A cry of horror went up from the Americans, and somethingsurprisingly l ike a shout of t r iumph from the abductors. Even asBrewster poised for the spring into the water a f lying form shot

past him and into the sea with a resounding splash. The man thatfired the shot had reckoned cleverly, and he was carrying out thefinal detai ls of an inspired plan. The Arab's posi t ion as he stoodin the boat was such as to warrant the sai lor 's bel ief that hecould fal l no other way than forward, and that meant over the sideof the boat . With al l this clearly in mind he had shot straightand true and was on his way to the water almost as the two toppled



overboard.

Monty Brewster was in the water an instant later , st r iking out for the spot where they had disappeared, a l i t t le to the left of thecourse in which his boat was running. There was a rat t le of f i rearms, with curses and cheers, but he paid no heed to these

sounds. He was a length or two behind the sai lor, praying with al lhis soul that one or the other might succeed in reaching the whiterobes that st i l l kept the surface of the water. His crew was"backing water" and straining every muscle to bring the boataround sharp for the rescue.

The sai lor 's powerful strokes brought him to the spot f i rst , butnot in t ime to clutch the disappearing white robes. Just as hereached out an arm to grasp the form of the girl she went down. Hedid not hesi tate a second but fol lowed. Peggy had fal len from the

dead Arab's embrace, and that worthy already was at the bottom of the sea. She was half conscious when the shot came, but the plungeinto the cold water revived her. Her struggles were enough to keepher up for a few moments, but not long enough for the swimmers toreach her side. She fel t herself going down and down, strangling,smothering, dying. Then something vise-l ike clutched her arm andshe had the sensat ion of being jerked upward violent ly.

The sai lor fought his way to the surface with the girl , andBrewster was at his side in an instant . Together they supportedher unti l one of the boats came up, and they were drawn over theside to safety. By this t ime the abductors had scat tered l ikesheep without a leader, and as there was no further object in pursuing them the li t t le American fleet put back for the yacht ingreat haste . Peggy was quite conscious when carried aboard by thetriumphant Brewster. The words he whispered to her as she lay inthe bottom of the boat were enough to give her l i fe .

The exci tement on board the "Fli t ter" was boundless. Fear gave wayto joy, and where despair had for a moment reigned supreme, therewas now the most insane del ight . Peggy was bundled below and into

her berth, Dr. Lotless at tending her, assisted by al l the women on board. Brewster and the sai lor, drenched but happy, were carriedon the shoulders of enthusiast ic supporters to a place where hottoddies were to be had before blankets.

"You have returned the favor, Conroy," said Brewster fervently, ashe leaned across the heads of his bearers to shake hands with the



sai lor who was sharing the honors with him. Conroy was grinningfrom ear to ear as he sat perched on the shoulders of hisshipmates. "I was luckier than I thought in saving your l i fe thatday."

"It wasn' t anything, Mr. Brewster," said young Conroy. "I saw a

chance to drop the big nigger, and then i t was up to me to get her out of the water."

"You took a big r isk, Conroy, but you made good with i t . If i t hadnot been for you, my boy, they might have got away with MissGray."

"Don't mention i t , Mr. Brewster, i t was nothing to do," protestedConroy in confusion. "I 'd do anything in the world for you and for her."

"What is the adage about cast ing your bread upon the water andgett ing i t back again?" asked "Rip" Van Winkle of Joe Bragdon asthey jubilant ly fol lowed the procession below.

There was no more sleep on board that night . In fact the sun wasnot long in showing i tself after the rescuers returned to thevessel . The daring at tempt of Mohammed's emissaries was discussedwithout restraint , and every sai lor had a story to tel l of the pursui t and rescue. The event furnished conversat ional food for days and days among both the seamen and the passengers. DanDeMille blamed himself relent lessly for sleeping through i t a l land moped for hours because he had lost a magnificent chance to"do something." The next morning he proposed to hunt for thesheik, and offered to lead an assault in person. An invest igat ionwas made and government officials t r ied to cal l Mohammed toaccount , but he had fled to the desert and the search wasfrui t less.

Brewster refused to accept a share of the glory of Peggy's rescue, pushing Conroy forward as the real hero. But the sai lor insisted

that he could not have succeeded without help,-- that he wascompletely exhausted when Monty came to the rescue. Peggy found i thard to thank him gently while her heart was so dangerously near the r iot point , and her words of grat i tude sounded pi t i ful ly weak and insufficient .

"It would have been the same had anybody else gone to her rescue,"



he mused dejectedly. "She cares for me with the devotion of asister and that 's al l . Peggy, Peggy," he moaned, "if you couldonly love me, I 'd--I 'd--oh, well , there 's no use thinking abouti t ! She wil l love some one else, of course, and--and be happy,too. If she 'd appear only one-tenth as grateful to me as to ConroyI 'd be sat isfied. He had the luck to be f i rst , that 's al l , but God

knows I t r ied to do i t ."

Mrs. Dan DeMille was keen enough to see how the land lay, and sheat once tr ied to set matters straight . She was far too clever to push her campaign ruthlessly, but laid her foundations and then buil t cunningly and securely with the most substantial materialthat came to hand from day to day. Her subjects were takingthemselves too deeply to heart to appreciate interference on the part of an outsider, and Mrs. Dan was wise in the whims of love.

Peggy was not herself for s everal days after her experience, andthe whole party fel t a dist inct rel ief when the yacht f inal ly leftthe harbor and steamed off to the west . A cablegram that came theday before may have had something to do with Brewster 'sdepression, but he was not the sort to confess i t . I t was fromSwearengen Jones, of Butte , Montana, and there was somethingsinister in the laconic admonit ion. I t read:

"BREWSTER, U.S. CONSULATE, ALEXANDRIA.

"Have a good t ime while good t imes last .

"JONES."

His brain was almost burst ing with the hopes and fears anduncertaint ies that crowded i t far beyond i ts ordinary capaci ty. I thad come to the point , i t seemed to him, when the brains of adozen men at least were required to operate the affairs that weresurging into his alone. The mere fact that the end of his year wasless than two months off , and that there was more or lessuncertainty as to the character of the end, was sufficient cause

for worry, but the new trouble was infini tely harder to endure.When he sat down to think over his f inancial enterprises his mindtreacherously wandered off to Peggy Gray, and then everything washopeless. He recal led the courage and confidence that had carriedhim to Barbara Drew with a declarat ion of love--to the stunning,worldly Barbara--and smiled bi t terly when he saw how basely thetwo al l ies were desert ing him in this hour of love for Peggy Gray.



For some reason he had fel t sure of Barbara; for another reason hesaw no chance with Peggy. She was not the same sort--she wasdifferent . She was--well , she was Peggy.

Occasionally his reflect ions assumed the importance of calculat ions. His cruise was sure to cost $200,000, a princely

sum, but not enough. Swearengen Jones and his cablegram did notawe him to a great extent . The spending of the mil l ion had becomea mania with him now and he had no regard for consequences. Hisone desire , aside from Peggy, was to increase the cost of thecruise. They were leaving Gibraltar when a new idea came into histroubled head.

He decided to change his plans and sai l for the North Cape,thereby adding more than $30,000 to his credi t .

CHAPTER XXVI

MUTINY

Monty was on deck when the inspirat ion seized him, and he lost not ime in tel l ing his guests, who were at breakfast . Although he hadmisgivings about their opinion of the s cheme, he was not preparedfor the ominous si lence that fol lowed his announcement.

"Are you in earnest , Mr. Brewster?" asked Captain Perry, who wasthe f i rst of the company to recover from the surprise.

"Of course I am. I chartered this boat for four months with the privi lege of another month I can see no reason to prevent us from prolonging the t rip." Monty's manner was ful l of self-assurance ashe continued: "You people are so in the habit of protest ing

against every suggest ion I make that you can' t help doing i t now."

"But, Monty," said Mrs. Dan, "what i f your guests would rather gohome."

"Nonsense; you were asked for a f ive months' cruise. Besides,think of get t ing home in the middle of August , with every one



away. I t would be l ike going to Philadelphia."

Brave as he was in the presence of his fr iends, in the privacy of his stateroom Monty gave way to the depression that was bearingdown upon him. I t was the hardest task of his l i fe to go on withhis scheme in the face of opposi t ion. He knew that every man and

woman on board was against the proposi t ion, for his sake at least ,and i t was diff icul t to be arbi trary under the circumstances.Purposely he avoided Peggy al l forenoon. His single glance at her face in the salon was enough to disturb him immeasurably.

The spiri ts of the crowd were subdued. The North Cape had charms, but the proclamation concerning it had been too sudden--hadreversed too quickly the general expectat ion and desire . Many of the guests had plans at home for August , and even those who hadnone were sat iated with exci tement . During the morning they

gathered in l i t t le knots to discuss the si tuat ion. They were al lgenerous and each one was sure that he could cruise indefini tely,i f on Monty's account the new voyage were not out of the quest ion.They fel t i t their duty to take a desperate stand.

The half-hearted l i t t le gatherings resolved themselves intoominous groups and in the end there was a cal l for a generalmeeting in the main cabin. Captain Perry, the f i rst mate, and thechief engineer were included in the cal l , but Montgomery Brewster was not to be admit ted. Joe Bragdon loyal ly agreed to keep himengaged elsewhere while the meeting was in progress. The doorswere locked and a cursory glance assured the chairman of themeeting, Dan DeMille , that no member of the party was missing savethe devoted Bragdon. Captain Perry was plainly nervous anddisturbed. The others were the vict ims of a suppressed energy that presaged subsequent eruptions.

"Captain Perry, we are assembled here for a purpose," saidDeMille , c learing his throat three t imes. "First of al l , as weunderstand i t , you are the sai l ing master of this ship. In other words, you are, according to mari t ime law, the commander of this

expedit ion. You alone can give orders to the sai lors and you alonecan clear a port . Mr. Brewster has no authori ty except that vestedin a common employer. Am I correct?"

"Mr. DeMille , i f Mr. Brewster instructs me to sai l for the NorthCape, I shal l do so," said the captain, f i rmly. "This boat is hisfor the ful l term of the lease and I am engaged to sai l her with



my crew unti l the tenth of next September."

"We understand your posi t ion, captain, and I am sure youappreciate ours. I t isn ' t that we want to end a very del ightfulcruise, but that we regard i t as sheer fol ly for Mr. Brewster toextend the tour at such tremendous expense. He is--or was--a r ich

man, but i t is impossible to ignore the fact that he is plungingmuch too heavily. In plain words, we want to keep him fromspending more of his money on this cruise. Do you understand our posi tion, Captain Perry?"

"Fully. I wish with al l my soul that I could help you and him. Myhands are t ied by contract , however, much as I regret i t a t thismoment."

"How does the crew feel about this addit ional t r ip, captain?"

asked DeMille .

"They shipped for f ive months and wil l receive f ive months' pay.The men have been handsomely treated and they wil l st ick to Mr.Brewster to the end," said the captain.

"There is no chance for a mutiny, then?" asked Smith regretful ly.The captain gave him a hard look, but said nothing. Everybodyseemed uncomfortable.

"Apparently the only way is the one suggested by Mr. Smith thismorning," said Mrs. Dan, speaking for the women. "No one wil lobject , I am sure, i f Captain Perry and his chief officers areal lowed to hear the plan."

"It is very necessary, in fact ," said Mr. Valentine. "We cannot proceed without them. But they wil l agree with us, I am sure, thati t is wise."

An hour later the meeting broke up and the conspirators made their way to the deck. I t was a strange fact that no one went alone.

They were in groups of three and four and the mystery that hungabout them was almost perceptible. Not one was wil l ing to face theexcited, buoyant Brewster without help; they found strength andsecuri ty in companionship.

Peggy was the one rebel against the conspiracy, and yet she knewthat the others were just i f ied in the step they proposed to take.



She reluctant ly joined them in the end, but fel t that she was thedarkest t rai tor in the crowd. Forget t ing her own distress over theway in which Monty was squandering his fortune, she stood out theone defender of his r ights unti l the end and then admit tedtearful ly to Mrs. DeMille that she had been "quite unreasonable"in doing so.

Alone in her stateroom after signing the agreement, she wonderedwhat he would think of her. She owed him so much that she at leastshould have stood by him. She fel t that he would be conscious of this? How could she have turned against him? He would notunderstand--of course he would never understand. And he would hateher with the others--more than the others. I t was al l a wretchedmuddle and she could not see her way out of i t .

Monty found his guests very diff icul t . They l istened to his plans

with but l i t t le interest , and he could not but see that they wereuncomfortable. The si tuat ion was new to their experience, and theywere under a strain. "They mope around l ike a lot of pouting boysand girls," he growled to himself . "But i t 's the North Cape now inspite of everything. I don't care i f the whole crowd deserts me,my mind is made up."

Try as he would, he could not see Peggy alone. He had much that hewanted to say to her and he hungered for the consolat ion her approval would bring him, but she clung to Pet t ingi l l with atenaci ty that was discouraging. The old feel ing of jealousy thatwas connected with Como again disturbed him.

"She thinks that I am a hopeless, brainless idiot ," he said tohimself . "And I don't blame her, e i ther."

Just before nightfal l he noticed that his fr iends were assemblingin the bow. As he started to join the group "Subway" Smith andDeMille advanced to meet him. Some of the others were smil ing al i t t le sheepishly, but the two men were pictures of solemnity anddecision.

"Monty," said DeMille steadily, "we have been conspiring againstyou and have decided that we sai l for New York to-morrow morning."

Brewster stopped short and the expression on his face was one theynever could forget . Bewilderment , uncertainty and pain succeededeach other l ike f lashes of l ight . Not a word was spoken for



several seconds. The red of humil iat ion slowly mounted to hischeeks, while in his eyes wavered the look of one who has beenhunted down.

"You have decided?" he asked l i felessly, and more than one heartwent out in pi ty to him.

"We hated to do i t , Monty, but for your own sake there was noother way," said "Subway" Smith quickly. "We took a vote and therewasn't a dissenting voice." "It is a plain case of mutiny, I takei t ," said Monty, ut terly alone and heart-sick.

"It isn ' t necessary to tel l you why we have taken this step," saidDeMille . "I t is heart-breaking to oppose you at this stage of thegame. You've been the best ever and--"

"Cut that ," cried Monty, and his confidence in himself was fastreturning. "This is no t ime to throw bouquets."

"We l ike you, Brewster." Mr. Valentine came to the chairman'sassistance because the others had looked at him so appeal ingly."We l ike you so well that we can' t take the responsibi l i ty for your extravagance. I t would disgrace us al l ."

"That side of the matter was never mentioned," cried Peggyindignantly, and then added with a catch in her voice, "We thoughtonly of you."

"I appreciate your motives and I am grateful to you," said Monty."I am more sorry than I can tel l you that the cruise must end inthis way, but I too have decided. The yacht wil l take you to some point where you can catch a steamer to New York. I shall secure passage for the entire party and very soon you wil l be at home.Captain Perry, wil l you oblige me by making at once for any portthat my guests may agree upon?" He was turning away del iberatelywhen "Subway" Smith detained him.

"What do you mean by get t ing a steamer to New York? Isn' t the'Fl i t ter ' good enough?" he asked.

"The 'Fl i t ter ' is not going to New York just now," answeredBrewster f i rmly, "notwithstanding your ul t imatum. She is going totake me to the North Cape."



CHAPTER XXVII

A FAIR TRAITOR

"Now wil l you be good?" cried Reggie Vanderpool to DeMille asMonty went down the companionway. The remark was precisely whatwas needed, for the pent-up feel ings of the ent ire company werenow poured forth upon the unfortunate young man. "Subway" Smithwas for hanging him to the yard arm, and the denunciat ion of theothers was so decisive that Reggie s ought refuge in the charthouse. But the atmosphere had been material ly cleared and the

leaders of the mutiny were in a posi t ion to go into executivesession and consider the matter . The women waited on deck whilethe meeting lasted. They were unanimous in the opinion that theaffair had been badly managed.

"They should have offered to stay by the ship providing Montywould let DeMille manage the cruise," said Miss Valentine. "Thatwould have been a concession and at the same t ime i t would have put the cruise on an economical basis."

"In other words, you wil l accept a man's invi tat ion to dinner i f he wil l a l low you to order i t and invite the other guests," saidPeggy, who was quick to defend Monty.

"Well that would be bet ter than helping to eat up every bi t of food he possessed." But Miss Valentine always avoided argumentwhen she could and gave this as a part ing thrust before she walkedaway.

"There must be something more than we know about in Monty'sextravagance," said Mrs. Dan. "He isn ' t the kind of man to

squander his last penny without having something left to show for i t . There must be a method in his madness."

"He has done i t for us," said Peggy. "He has devoted himself al lalong to giving us a good t ime and now we are showing our grat i tude."



Further discussion was prevented by the appearance of theconspiring committee and the whole company was summoned to hear DeMille 's report as chairman.

"We have found a solut ion of our diff icul t ies," he began, and hismanner was so jubi lant that every one became hopeful . "I t is

desperate, but I think i t wil l be effect ive. Monty has given usthe privi lege of leaving the yacht at any port where we can take asteamer to New York. Now, my suggest ion is that we select the mostconvenient place for al l of us, and obviously there is nothingquite so convenient as Boston."

"Dan DeMille , you are quite foolish," cried his wife. "Who ever conceived such a r idiculous idea?"

"Captain Perry has his instruct ions," continued DeMille , turning

to the captain. "Are we not act ing along the l ines marked out byBrewster himself?"

"I wil l sai l for Boston if you say the word," said the thoughtfulcaptain. "But he is sure to countermand such an order."

"He won't be able to, captain," cried "Subway" Smith, who had for some t ime been eager to join in the conversat ion. "This is agenuine, dyed-in-the-wool mutiny and we expect to carry out theoriginal plan, which was to put Mr. Brewster in i rons, unt i l weare safe from al l opposi t ion."

"He is my friend, Mr. Smith, and at least i t is my duty to protecthim from any indignity," said the captain, st i ff ly.

"You make for Boston, my dear captain, and we'l l do the rest ,"said DeMille . "Mr. Brewster can' t countermand your orders unlesshe sees you in person. We'l l see to i t that he has no chance totalk to you unti l we are in sight of Boston Harbor."

The captain looked doubtful and shook his head as he walked away.

At heart he was with the mutineers and his mind was made up toassist them as long as i t was possible to do so without violat inghis obligat ions to Brewster. He fel t gui l ty, however, insurrept i t iously giving the order to clear for Boston at daybreak.The chief officers were let into the secret , but the sai lors werekept in darkness regarding the dest inat ion of the "Fli t ter ."



Montgomery Brewster 's guests were immensely pleased with thescheme, al though they were dubious about the outcome. Mrs. Danregret ted her hasty comment on the plan and entered into the plotwith eagerness. In accordance with plans decided upon by themutineers, Monty's stateroom door was guarded through the night bytwo of the men. The next morning as he emerged from his room, he

was met by "Subway" Smith and Dan DeMille .

"Good morning," was his greet ing. "How's the weather to-day?"

"Bully," answered DeMille . "By the way, you are going to have breakfast in your room, old man."

Brewster unsuspect ingly led the way into his stateroom, the twofollowing.

"What 's the mystery?" he demanded.

"We've been deputized to do some very nasty work," said "Subway,"as he turned the key in the door. "We are here to tel l you what port we have chosen."

"It 's awfully good of you to tel l me."

"Yes, isn ' t i t? But we have studied up on the chivalrous t reatmentof prisoners. We have decided on Boston."

"Is there a Boston on this side of the water?" asked Monty in mildsurprise.

"No; there is only one Boston in the universe, so far as we know.It is a large body of intel lect surrounded by the rest of theworld."

"What the devil are you talking about? You don't mean Boston,Massachuset ts?" cried Monty, leaping to his feet .

"Precisely. That 's the port for us and you told us to choose for ourselves," said Smith.

"Well , I won't have i t , that 's al l ," exclaimed Brewster,indignantly. "Captain Perry takes orders from me and from no oneelse."



"He already has his orders," said DeMille , smil ing mysteriously.

"I ' l l see about that . Brewster sprang to the door. I t was lockedand the key was in "Subway" Smith 's pocket . With an impatientexclamation he turned and pressed an electric button.

"It won't r ing, Monty," explained "Subway." "The wire has beencut . Now, be cool for a minute or two and we'l l ta lk i t over."

Brewster stormed for f ive minutes, the "delegat ion" si t t ing calmly by, smil ing with exasperat ing confidence. At last he calmed downand in terms of reason demanded an explanat ion. He was given tounderstand that the yacht would sai l for Boston and that he would be kept a prisoner for the ent ire voyage unless he submit ted tothe wil l of the majori ty.

Brewster l istened darkly to the proclamation. He saw that they hadgained the upper hand by a clever ruse, and that only strategy onhis part could outwit them. I t was out of the quest ion for him tosubmit to them now that the controversy had assumed the dignity of a struggle.

"But you wil l be reasonable, won't you?" asked DeMille , anxiously.

"I intend to f ight i t out to the bi t ter end," said Brewster, hiseyes f lashing. "At present I am your prisoner, but i t is a longway to Boston."

For three days and two nights the "Fli t ter" steamed westward intothe Atlant ic , with her temporary owner locked into his stateroom.The confinement was irksome, but he rather l iked the sensat ion of being interested in something besides money. He frequently laughedto himself over the absurdi ty of the si tuat ion. His enemies werefriends, t rue and devoted; his gaolers were relent less but theywere considerate. The original order that he should be guarded byone man was violated on the f i rst day. There were t imes when hisguard numbered at least ten persons and some of them served tea

and begged him to l isten to reason.

"It is diff icul t not to l isten," he said f iercely. "It 's l ikeholding a man down and then asking him to be quiet . But my t ime iscoming."

"Revenge wil l be his!" exclaimed Mrs. Dan, t ragical ly.



"You might have your term s hortened on account of good conduct i f you would only behave," suggested Peggy, whose reserve was beginning to soften. "Please be good and give in."

"I haven't been happier during the whole cruise," said Monty. "On

deck I wouldn't be noticed, but here I am quite the whole thing.Besides I can get out whenever I feel l ike i t ."

"I have a thousand dollars which says you can' t ," s aid DeMille ,and Monty snapped him up so eagerly that he added, "that you can' tget out of your own accord."

Monty acceded to the condit ion and offered odds on the proposi t ionto the others, but there were no takers.

"That set t les i t ," he smiled grimly to himself . "I can make athousand dollars by staying here and I can' t afford to escape."

On the third day of Monty's imprisonment the "Fli t ter" began torol l heavily. At f i rst he gloated over the discomfort of hisguards, who obviously did not l ike to stay below. "Subway" Smithand Bragdon were on duty and nei ther was famous as a good sai lor.When Monty l ighted his pipe there was consternat ion and "Subway"rushed on deck.

"You are a brave man, Joe," Monty said to the other and blew acloud of smoke in his direct ion. "I knew you would st ick to your post . You wouldn't leave i t even if the ship should go down."

Bragdon had reached the stage where he dared not speak and was busying himself trying to "breathe with the motion of the boat ,"as he had cal led i t .

"By Gad," continued Monty, relent lessly, "this smoke is get t ingthick. Some of this toi let water might help i f I sprinkled i tabout ."

One whiff of the sweet-smell ing cologne was enough for Bragdon andhe bolted up the companionway, leaving the stateroom door wideopen and the prisoner free to go where he pleased. Monty's f i rstimpulse was to fol low, but he checked himself on the threshold.

"Damn that bet with DeMille ," he said to himself , and added aloud



to the f leet ing guard, "The key, Joe, I dare you to come back andget i t !"

But Bragdon was beyond recal l and Monty locked the door on theinside and passed the key through the venti lator.

On deck a small part of the company braved the spray in the lee of the deck house, but the others had long since gone below. The boatwas pi tching furiously in the ugliest sea i t had encountered, andthere was anxiety underneath Captain Perry 's mask of unconcern.DeMille and Dr. Lotless talked in the senseless way men have whenthey try to conceal their nervousness. But the women did notrespond; they were in no mood for conversat ion.

Only one of them was quite oblivious to personal discomfort anddanger. Peggy Gray was thinking of the prisoner below. In a

reflect ion of her own terror, she pictured him crouching in thel i t t le state-room, l ike a doomed criminal await ing execution,alone, neglected, forgotten, unpit ied. At f i rst she pleaded for the men for his release, but they insisted upon wait ing in thehope that a scare might bring him to his senses. Peggy saw that nohelp was to be secured from the other women, much as they mightcare for Brewster 's peace of mind and safety. Her heart was bi t ter toward every one responsible for the si tuat ion, and there was dark rebel l ion in her soul . I t culminated final ly in a resolve torelease Monty Brewster at any cost .

With diff icul ty she made her way to the stateroom door, cl ingingto supports at t imes and then plunging violent ly away from them.For some minutes she l istened, franct ical ly clutching Brewster 'sdoor and the wall-rai l . There was no guard, and the tumult of thesea drowned every sound within. Her imaginat ion ran riot when her repeated cal ls were not answered.

"Monty, Monty," she cried, pounding wildly on the door.

"Who is i t? What is the t rouble?" came in muffled tones from

within, and Peggy breathed a prayer of thanks. Just then shediscovered the key which Monty had dropped and quickly opened thedoor, expect ing to f ind him cowering with fear. But the picturewas different . The prisoner was seated on the divan, propped upwith many pi l lows and reading with the aid of an electric l ight"The Intrusions of Peggy."



CHAPTER XXVIII

A CATASTROPHE

"Oh!" was Peggy's only exclamation, and there was a shadow of disappointment in her eyes.

"Come in, Peggy, and I ' l l read aloud," was Monty's cheerfulgreet ing as he stood before her,

"No, I must go," said Peggy, confusedly. "I thought you might be

nervous about the storm--and--"

"And you came to let me out?" Monty had never been so happy.

"Yes, and I don't care what the others say. I thought you weresuffering--" But at that moment the boat gave a lurch which threwher across the threshold into Monty's arms. They crashed againstthe wall , and he held her a moment and forgot the storm. When shedrew away from him she showed him the open door and freedom. Shecould not speak.

"Where are the others?" he asked, bracing himself in the doorway.

"Oh, Monty," she cried, "we must not go to them. They wil l think me a t rai tor ."

"Why were you a t rai tor , Peggy?" he demanded, turning toward her suddenly.

"Oh--oh, because i t seemed so cruel to keep you locked up throughthe storm," she answered, blushing.

"And there was no other reason?" he persisted.

"Don't , please don't !" she cried pi teously, and he misunderstoodher emotion. I t was clear that she was merely sorry for him.

"Never mind, Peggy, i t 's a l l r ight . You stood by me and I ' l l stand



by you. Come on; we'll face the mob and I ' l l do the f ight ing."

Together they made their way into the presence of the mutineers,who were crowded into the main cabin.

"Well , here 's a conspiracy," cried Dan DeMille , but there was no

anger in his voice. "How did you escape? I was just thinking of unlocking your door, Monty, but the key seemed to be missing."

Peggy displayed i t t r iumphantly.

"By Jove," cried Dan. "This is rank treachery. Who was on guard?"

A steward rushing through the cabin at this moment in answer tofrant ic cal ls from Bragdon furnished an eloquent reply to thequest ion.

"It was simple," said Monty. "The guards deserted their post andleft the key behind."

"Then i t is up to me to pay you a thousand dollars."

"Not at al l ," protested Monty, taken aback. "I did not escape of my own accord. I had help. The money is yours. And now that I amfree," he added quiet ly, "let me say that this boat does not go toBoston."

"Just what I expected," cried Vanderpool .

"She 's going straight to New York!" declared Monty. The words werehardly ut tered when a heavy sea sent him sprawling across thecabin, and he concluded, "or to the bottom."

"Not so bad as that ," said Captain Perry, whose entrance had beensomewhat hastened by the lurch of the boat . "But unti l this blowsover I must keep you below." He laughed, but he saw they were notdeceived. "The seas are pret ty heavy and the decks are being

holystoned for nothing, but I wouldn't l ike to have any of youwashed overboard by mistake."

The hatches were bat tened down, and i t was a sorry company thattr ied to while away the evening in the main cabin. Monty's chafingabout the advantages of the North Cape over the stormy Atlant icwas not calculated to raise the drooping spiri ts , and i t was very



early when he and his shat tered guests turned in. There was l i t t lesleep on board the "Fli t ter" that night . Even if i t had been easyto forget the danger, the creaking of the ship and the incessantroar of the water were enough for wakefulness. With each lurch of the boat i t seemed more incredible that i t could endure. I t wassuch a mite of a thing to meet so furious an at tack. As i t rose on

the wave to pause in terror on i ts crest before sinking shiveringinto the t rough, i t made the breath come short and the heart standst i l l . Through the night the fragi le l i t t le craft fought i tslonely way, bravely ignoring i ts own weakness and the infini testrength of i ts enemy. To the captain, lashed to the bridge, therewere hours of grave anxiety--hours when he feared each wave as i tapproached, and wondered what new damage i t had done as i treceded. As the wind increased toward morning he fel t a sickeningcertainty that the brave l i t t le boat was beaten. Somehow sheseemed to lose courage, to waver a bi t and almost give t ip the

fight . He watched her miserably as the dismal dawn came up out of the sea. Yet i t was not unt i l seven o 'clock that the crash came,which shook the passengers out of their berths and fi l led themwith shivering terror. The whirring of the broken shaft seemed toconsume the ship. In every cabin i t spoke with terrible vividnessof disaster . The clamor of voices and the rush of many feet , whichfol lowed, meant but one thing. Almost instant ly the machinery wasstopped--an ominous si lence in the midst of the dull roar of thewater and the cry of the wind.

It was a terrif ied crowd that quickly gathered in the main cabin, but i t was a brave one. There were no cries and few tears. Theyexpected anything and were ready for the worst , but they would notshow the white feather. I t was Mrs. Dan who broke the tension. "Imade sure of my pearls," she said; "I thought they would beappreciated at the bottom of the sea."

Brewster came in upon their laughter. "I l ike your nerve, people,"he exclaimed, "you are al l r ight . I t won't be so bad now. The windhas dropped."

Long afterward when they talked the matter over, DeMille claimedthat the only thing that bothered him that night was the effort todecide whether the club of which he and Monty were members would put in the main hallway two black-bordered cards, each bearing aname, or only one with both names. Mr. Valentine regret ted that hehad gone on for years paying l i fe insurance premiums when now hisonly relat ives were on the boat and would die with him.



The captain, looking pret ty rocky after his twenty-four hour vigi l , summoned his chief . "We're in a bad hole, Mr. Brewster," hesaid when they were alone, "and no mistake. A broken shaft andthis weather make a pret ty poor combinat ion."

"Is there no chance of making a port for repairs?"

"I don't see i t , si r . I t looks l ike a long pull ."

"We are way off our course, I suppose?" and Monty's coolness wonCaptain Perry 's admirat ion.

"I can' t te l l just how much unti l I get the sun, but this wind ishel l . I suspect we've drif ted pret ty far ."

"Come and get some coffee, captain. While the storm lasts the onlything to do is to cheer up the women and trust to luck."

"You're the nerviest mate I ever shipped with, Mr. Brewster," andthe captain 's hand gripped Monty's in a way that meant things. I twas a t r ibute he appreciated.

During the day Monty devoted himself to his guests, and at thefirst sign of pensiveness he was ready with a jest or a story. Buthe did i t a l l with a tact that inspired the crowd as a whole withhope, and no one suspected that he himself was not cheerful . For Peggy Gray there was a special tenderness, and he made up his mindthat i f things should go wrong he would tel l her that he lovedher.

"It could do no harm," he thought to himself , "and I want her toknow."

Toward night the worst was over. The sea had gone down and thehatches were opened for a while to admit air , though i t was st i l ltoo rough to venture out . The next morning was bright and clear.

When the company gathered on deck the havoc created by the stormwas apparent . Two of the boats had been completely carried awayand the launch was rendered useless by a large hole in the stern.

"You don't mean to say that we wil l drif t about unti l the repairscan be made?" asked Mrs. Dan in alarm.



"We are three hundred miles off the course already," explainedMonty, "and i t wil l be pret ty slow travel ing under sai l ."

I t was decided to make for the Canary Islands, where repairs could be made and the voyage resumed. But where the wind had raged a fewdays before, i t had now disappeared al together, and for a week the

"Fli t ter" tossed about absolutely unable to make headway. Thefirst of August had arrived and Monty himself was beginning to benervous. With the fatal day not quite two months away, things began to look serious. Over one hundred thousand dollars wouldremain after he had set t led the expenses of the cruise, and he washelplessly drif t ing in mid-ocean. Even if the necessary repairscould be made promptly, i t would take the "Fli t ter" fourteen daysto sai l from the Canaries to New York. Figure as hard as he couldhe saw no way out of the unfortunate si tuat ion. Two days moreelapsed and st i l l no sign of a breeze. He made sure that September

23d would find him st i l l drif t ing and st i l l in possession of onehundred thousand superfluous dollars.

At the end of ten days the yacht had progressed but two hundredmiles and Monty was beginning to plan the rest of his existence ona capital of $100,000. He had given up al l hope of the Sedgwick legacy and was trying to be resigned to his fate , when a t rampsteamer was suddenly sighted. Brewster ordered the man on watch tofly a f lag of distress. Then he reported to the captain and toldwhat he had done. With a bound the captain rushed on deck and torethe f lag from the sai lor 's hand.

"That was my order," said Monty, net t led at the captain 's manner.

"You want them to get a l ine on us and claim salvage, do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"If they get a l ine on us in response to that f lag they wil l c laimthe ent ire value of the ship as salvage. You want to spend another $200,000 on this boat?"

"I didn' t understand," said Monty, sheepishly. "But for God's sakefix i t up somehow. Can't they tow us? I ' l l pay for i t ."

Communicat ion was slow, but after an apparently endless amount of signal ing, the captain f inal ly announced that the freight steamer was bound for Southampton and would tow the "Fli t ter" to that



point for a price.

"Back to Southampton!" groaned Monty. "That means months before weget back to New York."

"He says he can get us to Southampton in ten days," interrupted

the captain.

"I can do i t , I can do i t ," he cried, to the consternat ion of hisguests, who wondered if his mind were affected. "If he ' l l land usin Southampton by the 27th, I ' l l pay him up to one hundredthousand dollars."

CHAPTER XXIX

THE PRODIGAL'S RETURN

After what seemed an age to Monty, the "Fli t ter ," in tow of thefreighter "Glencoe," arrived at Southampton. The captain of thefreight boat was a thrif ty Scotchman whose ship was travel ing witha l ight cargo, and he was not , therefore, averse to taking on atow. But the thought of salvage had caused him to ask a high pricefor the service and Monty, after a fut i le at tempt at bargaining,had agreed. The price was f i f ty thousand dollars, and the youngman bel ieved more than ever that everything was ruled by a wiseProvidence, which had not deserted him. His guests were heartsick when they heard the f igure, but were as happy as Monty at the prospect of reaching land again.

The "Glencoe" made several stops before Southampton was f inal lyreached on the 28th of August , but when the English coast wassighted every one was too eager to go ashore to begrudge the extra

day. Dan DeMille asked the ent ire party to become his guests for aweek's shooting tr ip in Scotland, but Monty vetoed the plan in themost decided manner.

"We sai l for New York on the fastest boat ," said Monty, andhurried off to learn the sai l ings and book his party. The first boat was to sail on the 30th and he could only secure



accommodations for twelve of his guests. The rest were obliged tofol low a week later . This was readily agreed to and Bragdon wasleft to see to the necessary repairs on the "Fli t ter" and arrangefor her homeward voyage. Monty gave Bragdon fif teen thousanddollars for the purpose and extracted a solemn promise that theentire amount would be used.

"But i t won't cost half of this," protested Bragdon.

"You wil l have to give these people a good t ime during the week and--well--you have promised that I shal l never see another pennyof i t . Some day you'l l know why I do this," and Monty fel t easier when his fr iend agreed to abide by his wishes.

He discharged the "Fli t ter 's" crew, with f ive months' pay and thereward promised on the night of Peggy's rescue, which was

productive of touching emotions. Captain Perry and his officersnever forgot the farewell of the prodigal , nor could they hide theregret that marked their weather-beaten faces.

Plans to dispose of his household goods and the balance of hiscash in the short t ime that would be left after he arrived in NewYork occupied Monty's at tent ion, and most men would have given upthe scheme as hopeless. But he did not despair . He was st i l l game,and he prepared for the f inal plunge with grim determination.

"There should have been a clause in Jones's condit ions about'weather permit t ing, '" he said to himself . "A shipwrecked mariner should not be expected to spend a mil l ion dollars."

The division of the party for the two sai l ings was tactful lyarranged by Mrs. Dan DeMille . The Valentines chaperoned the"second table" as "Subway" Smith cal led those who were to take thelater boat , and she herself looked after the f i rst lot . Peggy Grayand Monty Brewster were in the DeMille party. The three days inEngland were marked by unparal leled extravagance on Monty's part .One of the local hotels was subsidized for a week, al though the

party only stayed for luncheon, and the Cecil in London was againer by several thousand dollars for the brief stop there. I twas a careworn l i t t le band that took Monty's special t rain for Southampton and embarked two days later . The "rest cure" thatfol lowed was welcome to al l of them and Brewster was especial lyglad that his race was almost run.



Swift ly and steadily the l iner cut down the leagues that separatedher from New York. Fair weather and fair cheer marked her course,and the soft , balmy nights were l ike seasons of fairyland. Montywas cherishing in his heart the hope inspired by Peggy's act ion onthe night of the storm. Somehow i t brought a small ray of l ight tohis clouded understanding and he found joy in keeping the f lame

alive rel igiously i f somewhat doubtful ly. His eyes fol lowed her constant ly, searching for the encouragement that the very bl indness of love had hidden from him, forever tormenting himself with fears and hopes and fears again. Her happiness and vivaci ty puzzled him--he was of ten annoyed, he was now and then seriouslymystif ied.

Four days out from New York, then three days, then two days, andthen Brewster began to feel the beginning of the f inal whirlwindin profl igacy clouding him oppressively, ominously, unkindly. Down

in his stateroom he drew new est imates, new calculat ions, andtried to balance the old ones so that they appeared in the l ightmost favorable to his designs. Going over the stat ist icscareful ly, he est imated that the cruise, including the repairs andreturn of the yacht to New York, would cost him $210,000 in roundfigures. One hundred and thir ty-three days marked the length of the voyage when reckoned by t ime and, as near as he could get ati t , the expense had averaged $1,580 a day. According to thecontract , he was to pay for the yacht , exclusive of the cuisineand personal service. And he had found i t simple enough to spendthe remaining $1,080. There were days, of course, when ful ly$5,000 disappeared, and there were others on which he spent muchless than $1,000, but the average was secure. Taking everythinginto considerat ion, Brewster found that his fortune had dwindledto a few pal try thousands in addit ion to the proceeds which wouldcome to him from the sale of his furni ture. On the whole he wassat isfied.

The landing in New York and the separation which followed were notentirely merry. Every discomfort was forgotten and the t ravelersonly knew that the most wonderful cruise since that of the ark had

come to an end. There was not one who would not have been glad to begin i t again the next day.

Immediately after the landing Brewster and Gardner were busy withthe detai ls of set t lement . After clearing up al l of theobligat ions arising from the cruise, they fel t the appropriatenessof a season of reflect ion. I t was a diff icul t moment--a moment



when undelivered reproofs were in the air . But Gardner seemed muchthe more melancholy of the two.

Piles of newspapers lay scat tered about the f loor of the room Inwhich they sat . Every one of them contained sensat ional stories of the prodigal 's t r ip, with pictures, incidents and predict ions.

Monty was pained, humil iated and resentful , but he was honestenough to admit the just i f icat ion of much that was said of him. Heread bi ts of i t here and there and then threw the papers asidehopelessly. In a few weeks they would tel l another story, andquite as emphatical ly.

"The worst of i t , Monty, is that you are the next thing to being a poor man," groaned Gardner. "I 've done my best to economize for you here at home, as you'l l see by these f igures, but nothingcould possibly balance the extravagances of this voyage. They are

simply appall ing."

With the condemnation of his fr iends r inging in his t roubled brain, with the sneers of acquaintances to distress his pride,with the j ibes of the comic papers to torture him remorselessly,Brewster was fast becoming the most miserable man in New York.Friends of former days gave him the cut direct , c lubmen ignoredhim or scorned him openly, women chil led him with the iciness of unspoken reproof, and al l the world was hung with shadows. Thedoggedness of despair kept him up, but the strain that pul led downon him was so relent less that the struggle was losing i tsequali ty. He had not expected such a home-coming.

Compared with his former self , Monty was now almost a physicalwreck, haggard, thin and defiant , a shadow of the once debonair young New Yorker, an object of pi ty and scorn. Ashamed anddespairing, he had almost lacked the courage to face Mrs. Gray.The consolat ion he once gained through her he now denied himself and his suffering, peculiar as i t was, was very real . In absoluterecklessness he gave dinner after dinner, party after party, al lon a most lavish scale, many of his guests laughing at him openly

while they enjoyed his hospital i ty. The real fr iends remonstrated, pleaded, did everything within their power to check his awful rushto poverty, but without success; he was not to be stopped.

At last the furni ture began to go, then the plate , then ai l the priceless bric-a-brac. Piece by piece it disappeared until theapartments were empty and he had squandered almost al l of the



$40,350 arising from the sales. The servants were paid off , theapartments rel inquished, and he was beginning to know what i tmeant to be "on his uppers." At the banks he ascertained that theinterest on his moneys amounted to $19,140.86. A week before the23d of September, the whole mil l ion was gone, including theamounts won in Lumber and Fuel and other luckless enterprises. He

st i l l had about $17,000 of his interest money in the banks, but hehad a bi l l ion pangs in his heart-- the interest on hisimprovidence.

He found some del ight in the discovery that the servants hadrobbed him of not less than $3,500 worth of his belongings,including the Christmas presents that he in honor could not havesold. His only encouragement came from Grant & Ripley, thelawyers. They inspired confidence in his lagging brain by urginghim on to the end, promising brightness thereafter . Swearengen

Jones was as mute as the mountains in which he l ived. There was noword from him, there was no assurance that he would approve of what had been done to obli terate Edwin Peter Brewster 's legacy.

Dan DeMille and his wife implored Monty to come with them to themountains before his substance was gone completely. The former offered him money, employment, rest and securi ty i f he wouldabandon the course he was pursuing. Up in Fort ieth Street PeggyGray was grieving her heart out and he knew i t . Two or three of those whom he had considered fr iends refused to recognize him inthe street in this last t rying week, and i t did not even interesthim to learn that Miss Barbara Drew was to become a duchess beforethe winter was gone. Yet he found some sat isfact ion in the reportthat one Hampton of Chicago had long since been dropped out of therace.

One day he implored the fai thful Bragdon to steal the Bostonterriers. He could not and would not sel l them and he dared notgive them away. Bragdon dejectedly appropriated the dogs andBrewster announced that some day he would offer a reward for their return and "no quest ions asked."

He took a sui te of rooms in a small hotel and was feverishly planning the overthrow of the last torturing thousands. Bragdonlived with him and the "Lit t le Sons of the Rich" stood loyal lyready to help him when he ut tered the f i rst cry of want . But eventhis establ ishment had to be abandoned at last . The old rooms inFort ieth Street were st i l l open to him and though he quai led at



the thought of making them a refuge, he faced the ordeal in thespiri t of a martyr.

CHAPTER XXX

THE PROMISE OF THRIFT

"Monty, you are breaking my heart ," was the f i rst and only appealMrs. Gray ever made to him. I t was two days before the twenty-third and i t did not come unti l after the "second-hand store" menhad driven away from her door with the bulk of his clothing in

their wagon. She and Peggy had seen l i t t le of Brewster, and hisnervous rest lessness alarmed them. His return was the talk of thetown. Men tr ied to shun him, but he persistent ly wasted some portion of his fortune on his unwill ing subjects. When he gave$5,000 in cash to a Home for Newsboys, even his fr iends jumped tothe conclusion that he was mad. I t was his only gift to chari tyand he excused his motive in giving at this t ime by recal l ingSedgwick's injunct ion to "give sparingly to chari ty." Everythingwas gone from his thoughts but the overpowering eagerness to getrid of a few troublesome thousands. He fel t l ike an outcast , a pariah, a hated object that infected every one with whom he camein contact . Sleep was almost impossible, eat ing was a farce; hegave elaborate suppers which he did not touch. Already his bestfr iends were discussing the advisabil i ty of putt ing him in asanitarium where his mind might be preserved. His case was lookedupon as peculiar in the history of mankind; no wri ter could f ind a parallel , no one imagine a comparison.

Mrs. Gray met him in the hal lway of her home as he was nervously pocketing the $60 he had received in payment for his clothes. Her face was l ike that of a ghost . He tr ied to answer her reproof, but

the words would not come, and he f led to his room, locking thedoor after him. He was at work there on the t ransact ion that wasto record the total disappearance of Edwin Brewster 's mil l ion--hisfinal report to Swearengen Jones, executor of James Sedgwick'swil l . On the f loor were bundles of packages, careful ly wrapped andtied, and on the table was the long sheet of white paper on whichthe report was being drawn. The package contained receipts--



thousands upon thousands of them--for the dollars he had spent inless than a year. They were there for the inspect ion of SwearengenJones, fai thful ly and honorably kept--as i f the old westerner would go over in detai l the countless documents.

He had the accounts balanced up to the hour. On the long sheet lay

the record of his ruthlessness, the epi taph of a mil l ion. In his pocket was exactly $79.08. This was to last him for less thanforty-eight hours and--then i t would go to join the rest . I t washis plan to visi t Grant & Ripley on the afternoon of the twenty-second and to read the report to them, in ant icipat ion of themeeting with Jones on the day fol lowing.

Just before noon, after his encounter with Mrs. Gray, he came downstairs and boldly, for the f i rst t ime in days, sought out Peggy.There was the old smile in his eye and the old heart iness in his

voice when he came upon her in the l ibrary. She was not reading.Books, pleasures and al l the joys of l i fe had fled from her mindand she thought only of the disaster that was coming to the boyshe had always loved. His heart smote him as he looked into thedeep, somber, fr ightened eyes, running over with love and fear for him.

"Peggy, do you think I 'm worth anything more from your mother? Doyou think she wil l ask me to l ive here any longer?" he asked,steadily, taking her hand in his. Hers was cold, his as hot asfire . "You know what you said away off yonder somewhere, thatshe 'd let me l ive here i f I deserved i t . I am a pauper, Peggy, andI 'm afraid I ' l l --I may have to get down to drudgery again. Wil lshe turn me out? You know I must have somewhere to l ive. Shall i t be the poorhouse? Do you remember saying one day that I 'd end inthe poorhouse?"

She was looking into his eyes, dreading what might be seen inthem. But there was no gleam of insanity there, there was nofever; instead there was the quiet smile of the man who issat isfied with himself and the world. His voice bore t races of

emotion, but i t was the voice of one who has perfect control of his wits.

"Is i t a l l --gone, Monty?" she asked, almost in a whisper.

"Here is the residue of my estate ," he said, opening his pursewith steady fingers. "I 'm back to where I left off a year ago. The



mill ion is gone and my wings are cl ipped." Her face was white , her heart was in the clutch of ice. How could he be so calm about i t ,when for him she was suffering such agony? Twice she started tospeak, but her voice fai led her. She turned slowly and walked tothe window, keeping her back to the man who smiled so sadly andyet so heart lessly.

"I didn' t want the mil l ion, Peggy," he went on. "You think as therest do, I know, that I was a fool to act as I did. I t would berank idiocy on my part to blame you any more than the others for thinking as you do. Appearances are against me, the proof isoverwhelming. A year ago I was cal led a man, to-day they arestr ipping me of every claim to that dist inct ion. The world says Iam a fool , a dol t , a lmost a criminal--but no one bel ieves I am aman. Peggy, wil l you feel bet ter toward me if I te l l you that I amgoing to begin l i fe al l over again? I t wil l be a new Monty

Brewster that starts out again in a few days, or , i f you wil l , i tshal l be the old one--the Monty you once knew."

"The old Monty?" she murmured soft ly, dreamily. "It would be goodto see him--so much bet ter than to see the Monty of the lastyear."

"And, in spi te of al l I have done, Peggy, you wil l stand by me?You won't desert me l ike the rest? You'l l be the same Peggy of theother days?" he cried, his calmness breaking down.

"How can you ask? Why should you doubt me?"

For a moment they stood si lent , each looking into the heart of theother, each seeing the beginning of a new day.

"Child," his voice t rembled dangerously, "I--I wonder i f you careenough for me to--to--" but he could only look the quest ion.

"To start a l l over again with you?" she whispered.

"Yes--to t rust yourself to the prodigal who has returned. Withoutyou, chi ld, al l the rest would be as the husks. Peggy, I want you--you! You DO love me--I can see i t in your eyes, I can feel i t inyour presence."

"How long you have been in real izing i t ," she said pensively asshe stretched out her arms to him. For many minutes he held her



close, f inding a beautiful peace in the world again.

"How long have you real ly cared?" he asked in a whisper.

"Always, Monty; al l my l i fe ."

"And I , too, chi ld, al l my l i fe . I know i t now; I 've known i t for months. Oh, what a fool I was to have wasted al l this love of yours and al l this love of mine. But I ' l l not be a profl igate inlove, Peggy. I ' l l not squander an atom of i t , dear, not as long asI l ive."

"And we will build a greater love, Monty, as we build the new lifetogether. We never can be poor while we have love as a t reasure."

"You won't mind being poor with me?" he asked.

"I can' t be poor with you," she said simply.

"And I might have let al l this escape me," he cried fervently."Listen, Peggy--we wil l start together, you as my wife and myfortune. You shal l be al l that is left to me of the past . Wil l youmarry me the day after to-morrow? Don't say no, dearest . I want to begin on that day. At seven in the morning, dear? Don't you seehow good the start wil l be?"

And he pleaded so ardently and so earnest ly that he won his pointeven though i t grew out of a whim that she could not thenunderstand. She was not to learn unti l afterward his object inhaving the marriage take place on the morning of September 23d,two hours before the t ime set for the turning over of the Sedgwick mil l ions. If a l l went well they would be Brewster 's mil l ions before twelve o 'clock, and Peggy's l ife of poverty would cover nomore than three hours of t ime. She bel ieved him worth a l i fet imeof poverty. So they would start the new l ife with but one possession--love.

Peggy rebel led against his desire to spend the seventy dollarsthat st i l l remained, but he was f i rm in his determination. Theywould dine and drive together and see al l of the old l i fe that wasleft--on seventy dollars. Then on the next day they would startal l over again. There was one rude moment of dismay when i toccurred to him that Peggy might be considered an "asset" i f she became his wife before nine o 'clock. But he realized at once that



i t was only demanded of him that he be penniless and that he possess no object that had been acquired through the medium of Edwin Peter Brewster 's money. Surely this wife who was not to cometo him unti l his last dol lar was gone could not be the product of an old man's legacy. But so careful was he in regard to thetransact ion that he decided to borrow money of Joe Bragdon to buy

the l icense and to pay the minister 's fee. Not only would he be penniless on the day of sett lement , but he would be in debt. Sochanged was the color of the world to him now that even thefai lure to win Sedgwick's mil l ions could not crush out the newlife and the new joy that had come to him with the winning of Peggy Gray.

CHAPTER XXXI

HOW THE MILLION DISAPPEARED

Soon after noon on the 22d of September, Monty folded his reportto Swearengen Jones, stuck i t into his pocket and sal l ied forth. A parcel del ivery wagon had carried off a mysterious bundle a fewminutes before. Mrs. Gray could not conceal her wonder, butBrewster 's answers to her quest ions threw l i t t le l ight on themystery. He could not tel l her the big bundle contained thereceipts that were to prove his sinceri ty when the t ime came toset t le with Mr. Jones. Brewster had used his own form of receiptfor every purchase. The l i t t le stub receipt books had been made toorder for him and not only he but every person in his employcarried one everywhere. No matter how trivial the purchase, the person who received a dollar of Brewster's money signed a receiptfor the amount. Newsboys and bootblacks were the only beings whoescaped the formali ty; t ips to waiters, porters, cabbies, etc . ,were recorded and afterward put into a class by themselves.

Receipts for the few dollars remaining in his possession were to be turned over on the morning of the 23d and the general reportwas not to be completed unti l 9 o 'clock on that day.

He kissed Peggy good-bye, told her to be ready for a drive at 4o'clock, and then went off to f ind Joe Bragdon and Elon Gardner.They met him by appointment and to them he confided his design to



be married on the following day.

"You can' t afford i t , Monty," exploded Joe, fearlessly. "Peggy istoo good a gir l . By Gad, i t isn ' t fair to her."

"We have agreed to begin l i fe to-morrow. Wait and see the resul t .

I think i t wil l surprise you. Incidental ly i t is up to me to getthe l icense to-day and to engage a minister 's services. I t 's goingto be quiet , you know. Joe, you can be my best man if you l ike,and, Gardie, I ' l l expect you to sign your name as one of thewitnesses. To-morrow evening we'l l have supper at Mrs. Gray's and'among those present ' wil l not comprise a very large l ist , Iassure you. But we'l l ta lk about that later on. Just now I want toask you fel lows to lend me enough money to get the l icense and paythe preacher. I ' l l return i t to-morrow afternoon."

"Well , I 'm damned," exclaimed Gardner, ut terly dumfounded by thenerve of the man. But they went with him to get the l icense andBragdon paid for i t . Gardner promised to have the minister at theGray house the next morning. Monty's other request--made in deepseriousness--was that Peggy was not to be told of the l i t t letransact ion in which the l icense and the minister f igured so prominently. He then hurried off to the office of Grant & Ripley.The bundles of receipts had preceded him.

"Has Jones arrived in town?" was his f i rst anxious quest ion after the greet ings.

"He is not registered at any of the hotels," responded Mr. Grant ,and Brewster did not see the t roubled look that passed over hisface.

"He'l l show up to-night , I presume," said he, complacently. Thelawyers did not tel l him that al l the telegrams they had sent toSwearengen Jones in the past two weeks had been returned to the New York office as unclaimed in Butte. The telegraph companyreported that Mr. Jones was not to be found and that he had not

been seen in Butte s ince the 3d of September. The lawyers werehourly expect ing word from Montana men to whom they hadtelegraphed for information and advice. They were extremelynervous, but Montgomery Brewster was too eager and exci ted tonotice the fact .

"A tal l , bearded stranger was here this morning asking for you,



Mr. Brewster," said Ripley, his head bent over some papers on hisdesk.

"Ah! Jones, I 'm sure. I 've always imagined him with a long beard,"said Monty, rel ief in his voice.

"It was not Mr. Jones. We know Jones quite well . This man was astranger and refused to give his name. He said he would cal l a tMrs. Gray's this afternoon."

"Did he look l ike a constable or a bi l l -col lector?" asked Monty,with a laugh.

"He looked very much l ike a t ramp."

"Well , we'l l forget him for the t ime being," said Monty, drawing

the report from his pocket . "Would you mind looking over thisreport , gentlemen? I 'd l ike to know if i t is in proper form to present to Mr. Jones."

Grant 's hand trembled as he took the careful ly folded sheet fromBrewster. A quick glance of despair passed between the twolawyers.

"Of course, you'l l understand that this report is merely asynopsis of the expenditures. They are classif ied, however, andthe receipts over there are arranged in such a way that Mr. Jonescan very easi ly verify al l the f igures set out in the report . For instance, where i t says 'c igars, ' I have put down the total amountthat went up in smoke. The receipts are to serve as an i temizedstatement , you know." Mr. Ripley took the paper from his partner 'shand and, pul l ing himself together, read the report aloud. I t wasas fol lows:

NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 19-- . To SWEARENGEN JONES, ESQ.

Executor under the will of the late James T. Sedgwick of Montana:

In pursuance of the terms of the aforesaid wil l and in accord withthe instruct ions set forth by yourself as executor, I present myreport of receipts and disbursements for the year in my l i feending at midnight on Sept . 22. The accuracy of the f igures setforth in this general statement may be establ ished by referring tothe receipts, which form a part of this report . There is not one



penny of Edwin Peter Brewster 's money in my possession, and I haveno asset to mark i ts burial place. These f igures are s ubmit ted for your most careful considerat ion.

ORIGINAL CAPITAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,000,000 00

"Lumber and Fuel" misfortune . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58,550.00

Prize-fight misjudged . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,000.00

Monte Carlo educat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40,000.00

Race track errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 700.00

Sale of six terrier pups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150.00

Sale of furni ture and personal effects . . . . . . . . . 40,500.00

Interest on funds once in hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19,140.00

Total amount to be disposed of . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,160,040.00

DISBURSEMENTS.

Rent for apartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $23,000.00

Furnishing apartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88,372.00

Three automobiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,000.00

Renting six automobiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25,000.00

Amount lost to DeMille . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 1,000.00

Salaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25,650.00

Amount paid to men injured in auto accident . . . . 12,240 00

Amount lost in bank fai lure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113,468.25

Amount lost on races . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,000.00



One glass screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 3,000.00

Christmas presents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,211.00

Postage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,105.00

Cable and telegraph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,253.00

Stat ionery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,400.00

Two Boston terriers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 600.00

Amount lost to "hold-up men" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450.00

Amount lost on concert tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56,382.00

Amount lost through O. Harrison's speculat ion(on my account) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 60,000.00

One bal l ( in two sect ions) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60,000.00

Extra favors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 6,000.00

One yacht cruise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212,309.50

One carnival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,824.00

Cigars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,720.00

Drinks, chiefly for others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,040.00

Clothing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,400.00

Rent of one vi l la . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,000.00

One courier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500.00

Dinner part ies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117,900.00

Suppers and luncheons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38,000.00

Theater part ies and suppers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,277.00

Hotel expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61,218.59



Rai lway and steamship fares . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31,274.81

For Newsboys' Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,000.00

Two opera performances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,000.00

Repairs to "Fli t ter" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 6,342.60

In tow from somewhere to Southampton . . . . . . . . . . . 50,000.00

Special t rain to Florida . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,000.00

Cottage in Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 5,500.00

Medical at tendance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 3,100.00

Living expenses in Florida . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,900.00

Misappropriat ion of personal property byservants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,580.00

Taxes on personal property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112.25

Sundries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,105.00

Household expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24,805.00

Total disbursements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,160,040.00

BALANCE ON HAND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $0,000,000.00

Respectful ly submit ted,


"It 's rather broad, you see, gentlemen, but there are receipts for

every dollar , barring some tr i f l ing incidentals. He may think Idissipated the fortune, but I defy him or any one else to provethat I have not had my money's worth. To tel l you the t ruth, i thas seemed l ike a hundred mil l ion. If any one should tel l you thati t is an easy matter to waste a mil l ion dollars, refer him to me.Last fal l I weighed 180 pounds, yesterday I barely moved the beamat 140; last fal l there was not a wrinkle in my face, nor did I



have a white hair . You see the resul t of overwork, gentlemen. I twil l take an age to get back to where I was physical ly, but Ithink I can do i t with the vacat ion that begins to-morrow.Incidental ly, I 'm going to be married to-morrow morning, just whenI am poorer than I ever expect to be again. I st i l l have a fewdollars to spend and I must be about i t . To-morrow I wil l account

for what I spend this evening. I t is now covered by the 'sundries 'i tem, but I ' l l have the receipts to show, al l r ight . See you to-morrow morning."

He was gone, eager to be with Peggy, afraid to discuss his reportwith the lawyers. Grant and Ripley shook their heads and satsi lent for a long t ime after his departure.

"We ought to hear something defini te before night ," said Grant , but there was anxiety in his voice.

"I wonder," mused Ripley, as i f to himself , "how he wil l take i ti f the worst should happen."

CHAPTER XXXII

THE NIGHT BEFORE

"It 's al l up to Jones now," kept running through Brewster 's brainas he drove off to keep his appointment with Peggy Gray. "Themil l ion is gone--al l gone. I 'm as poor as Job's turkey. I t 's up toJones, but I don't see how he can decide against me. He insistedon making a pauper of me and he can' t have the heart to throw medown now. But , what i f he should take i t into his head to be ugly!I wonder i f I could break the wil l --I wonder i f I could beat himout in court ."

Peggy was wait ing for him. Her cheeks were f lushed as with afever. She had caught from him the mad exci tement of the occasion.

"Come, Peggy," he exclaimed, eagerly. "This is our last hol iday--let 's be merry. We can forget i t to-morrow, i f you l ike, when we begin al l over again, but maybe it wil l be worth remembering." He



assisted her to the seat and then leaped up beside her. "We'reoff!" he cried, his voice quivering.

"It is absolute madness, dear," she said, but her eyes weresparkl ing with the joy of recklessness. Away went the t rap and thetwo l ight hearts. Mrs. Gray turned from a window in the house with

tears in her eyes. To her t roubled mind they were driving off intoutter darkness.

"The queerest looking man came to the house to see you thisafternoon, Monty," said Peggy. "He wore a beard and he made methink of one of Remington's cowboys."

"What was his name?"

"He told the maid i t did not matter . I saw him as he walked away

and he looked very much a man. He said he would come to-morrow if he did not f ind you down town to-night . Don't you recognize himfrom the descript ion?"

"Not at al l . Can't imagine who he is."

"Monty," she said, after a moment 's painful reflect ion, "he--hecouldn't have been a--"

"I know what you mean. An officer sent up to at tach my belongingsor something of the sort . No, dearest ; I give you my word of honor I do not owe a dollar in the world." Then he recal led his peculiar indebtedness to Bragdon and Gardner. "Except one or two very small personal obligations," he added, hast ily. "Don't worry about it ,dear, we are out for a good t ime and we must make the most of i t .First , we drive through the Park, then we dine at Sherry 's."

"But we must dress for that , dear," she cried. "And the chaperon?"

He turned very red when she spoke of dressing. "I 'm ashamed toconfess i t , Peggy, but I have no other clothes than these I 'm

wearing now. Don't look so hurt , dear--I 'm going to leave an order for new evening clothes to-morrow--if I have the t ime. And aboutthe chaperon. People won't be talking before to-morrow and by thatt ime--"

"No, Monty, Sherry 's is out of the quest ion. We can' t go there,"she said, decisively.



"Oh, Peggy! That spoils everything," he cried, in deepdisappointment .

"It isn ' t fair to me, Monty. Everybody would know us, and everytongue would wag. They would say, 'There are Monty Brewster and

Margaret Gray. Spending his last few dollars on her. ' You wouldn'thave them think that?"

He saw the just ice in her protest . "A quiet l i t t le dinner in s omeout of the way place would be joyous," she added, persuasively.

"You're r ight , Peggy, you're always r ight . You see, I 'm so used tospending money by the handful that I don't know how to do i t anyother way. I bel ieve I ' l l le t you carry the pocketbook after to-morrow. Let me think; I knew a nice l i t t le restaurant down town.

We'l l go there and then to the theater . Dan DeMille and his wifeare to be in my box and we're al l going up to Pet t ingi l l 's studioafterward. I 'm to give the 'Li t t le Sons' a farewell supper. If mycalculat ions don't go wrong, that wil l be the end of the jaunt andwe'l l go home happy."

At eleven o 'clock Pet t ingi l l 's studio opened i ts doors to the"Lit t le Sons" and their guests, and the last "Dutch lunch" wassoon under way. Brewster had paid for i t early in the evening andwhen he sat down at the head of the table there was not a penny inhis pockets. A year ago, at the same hour, he and the "Lit t leSons" were having a bir thday feast . A mil l ion dollars came to himon that night . To-night he was poorer by far than on the other occasion, but he expected a l i t t le gif t on the new anniversary.

Around the board, besides the nine "Lit t le Sons," sat six guests,among them the DeMilles, Peggy Gray and Mary Valentine. "Nopper"Harrison was the only absent "Lit t le Son" and his heal th was proposed by Brewster almost before the echoes of the toast to the bride and groom died away.

Interruption came earl ier on this occasion than i t did that nighta year ago. Ell is did not del iver his message to Brewster unti lthree o 'clock in the morning, but the A.D.T. boy who rang the bel lat Pet t ingi l l 's a year later handed him a telegram before twelveo'clock.

"Congratulat ions are coming in, old man," said DeMille , as Monty



looked fearful ly at the l i t t le envelope the boy had given him.

"Many happy returns of the day," suggested Bragdon. "By Jove, i t 'ssensible of you to get married on your bir thday, Monty. I t savest ime and expense to your fr iends."

"Read i t a loud," said "Subway" Smith.

"Two to one i t 's from Nopper Harrison," cried Pet t ingi l l .

Brewster 's f ingers t rembled, he knew not why, as he opened theenvelope. There was the most desolate feel ing in his heart , themost ghast ly premonit ion that i l l -news had come in this last hour.He drew forth the telegram and s lowly, painful ly unfolded i t . Noone could have told by his expression that he fel t a lmost that hewas reading his death warrant . I t was from Grant & Ripley and

evidently had been fol lowing him about town for two or threehours. The lawyers had fi led i t a t 8:30 o 'clock.

He read i t a t a glance, his eyes burning, his heart freezing. Tothe end of his days these words l ived sharp and dist inct in his brain.

"Come to the office immediately. Wil l wait al l night for you if necessary. Jones has disappeared and there is absolutely no traceof him."

"Grant & Ripley."

Brewster sat as one paralyzed, absolutely no s ign of emotion inhis face. The others began to clamor for the contents of thetelegram, but his tongue was st i ff and motionless, his ears deaf.Every drop of blood in his body was st i l led by the shock, everysense given him by the Creator was centered upon eleven words inthe handwrit ing of a careless telegraph operator--"Jones hasdisappeared and there is absolutely no trace of him."

"JONES HAS DISAPPEARED!" Those were the words, plain and terriblein their clearness, t remendous in their brutal i ty. Slowly the restof the message began to urge i ts claims upon his brain. "Come toour office immediately" and "Will wait al l night" bat t led for recognit ion. He was calm because he had not the power to expressan emotion. How he maintained control of himself afterward henever knew. Some powerful , kindly force asserted i tself , coming to



his rel ief with the t imeliness of a genii . Gradually i t began todawn upon him that the others were waiting for him to read themessage aloud. He was not sure that a sound would come forth whenhe opened his l ips to speak, but the tones were steady, naturaland as cold as steel .

"I am sorry I can' t te l l you about this," he s aid, so gravely thathis hearers were si lenced. "It is a business matter of such vi talimportance that I must ask you to excuse me for an hour or so. Iwil l explain everything to-morrow. Please don't be uneasy. If youwil l do me the honor to grace the board of an absent host , I ' l l bemost grateful . I t is imperat ive that I go, and at once. I promiseto return in an hour." He was standing, his knees as st i ff asiron.

"Is i t anything serious?" asked DeMille .

"What! has anything happened?" came in hal t ing, fr ightened tonesfrom Peggy.

"It concerns me alone, and i t is purely of a business nature.Seriously, I can' t delay going for another minute. I t is vi tal . Inan hour I ' l l return. Peggy, don't be worried--don't be distressedabout me. Go on and have a good t ime, everybody, and you'l l f indme the jol l iest fel low of al l when I come back. I t 's twelveo'clock. I ' l l be here by one on the 23d of September."

"Let me go with you," pleaded Peggy, t remulously, as she fol lowedhim into the hal lway.

"I must go alone," he answered. "Don't worry, l i t t le woman, i twil l be al l r ight ."

His kiss sent a chi l l to the very bottom of Peggy's heart .

CHAPTER XXXIII

THE FLIGHT OF JONES



Everything seemed l ike a dream to Brewster as he rushed off through the night to the office of Grant & Ripley. He was dazed, bewildered, hardly more than half-conscious. A bi tter smile creptabout his l ips as he drew away from the street-car t rack almost ashis hand touched the rai l of a car he had signaled. He rememberedthat he did not have money enough to pay his fare. I t was six or

seven blocks to the office of the lawyers, and he was actual lyrunning before he stopped at the entrance of the big building.

Never had an elevator t raveled more slowly than the one which shothim to the seventh f loor. A l ight shone through the t ransom abovethe at torneys' door and he entered without so much as a rap on the panel. Grant, who was pacing the f loor, came to a standsti ll andfaced his visi tor .

"Close the door, please," came in steady tones from Ripley. Mr.

Grant dropped into a chair and Brewster mechanical ly slammed thedoor.

"Is i t t rue?" he demanded hoarsely, his hand st i l l on the knob.

"Sit down, Brewster, and control yourself ," said Ripley.

"Good God, man, can' t you see I am calm?" cried Monty. "Go on--tel l me al l about i t . What do you know? What have you heard?"

"He cannot be found, that 's al l ," announced Ripley, with deadlyintentness. "I don't know what i t means. There is no explanat ion.The whole thing is inconceivable. Si t down and I wil l te l l youeverything as quickly as possible."

"There isn ' t much to tel l ," said Grant , mechanically.

"I can take i t bet ter standing," declared Brewster, shutt ing his jaws t ight ly.

"Jones was last seen in Butte on the third of this month," said

Ripley. "We sent several telegrams to him after that day, askingwhen he expected to leave for New York. They never were claimedand the telegraph company reported that he could not be found. Wethought he might have gone off to look after some of his propertyand were not uneasy. Final ly we began to wonder why he had notwired us on leaving for the east . I te legraphed him again and gotno answer. I t dawned upon us that this was something unusual . We



wired his secretary and received a response from the chief of police. He asked, in turn, i f we could tel l him anything about thewhereabouts of Jones. This natural ly alarmed us and yesterday wekept the wires hot . The resul t of our inquiries is terrible , Mr.Brewster."

"Why didn' t you tel l me?" asked Brewster.

"There can be no doubt that Jones has f led, accompanied by hissecretary. The bel ief in Butte is that the secretary has murderedhim."

"God!" was the only sound that came from the l ips of Brewster.

Ripley moistened his l ips and went on

"We have dispatches here from the police, the banks, the t rustcompanies and from a half dozen mine managers. You may read themif you l ike, but I can tel l you what they say. About the f i rst of this month Jones began to turn various securi t ies into money. I tis now known that they were once the property of James T.Sedgwick, held in t rust for you. The safety deposi t vaults wereafterward visi ted and inspect ion shows that he removed every scrapof stock, every bond, everything of value that he could lay hishands upon. His own papers and effects were not disturbed. Yoursalone have disappeared. I t is this fact that convinces theauthori t ies that the secretary has made away with the old man andhas f led with the property. The bank people say that Jones drewout every dollar of the Sedgwick money, and the police say that hereal ized tremendous sums on the convert ible securi t ies. Thestrange part of i t is that he sold your mines and your realestate , the purchaser being a man named Golden. Brewster, i t -- i tlooks very much as i f he had disappeared with everything."

Brewster did not take his eyes from Ripley's face throughout theterrible speech; he did not move a fract ion of an inch from therigid posi t ion assumed at the beginning.

"Is anything being done?" he asked, mechanical ly.

"The police are invest igat ing. He is known to have started off into the mountains with this secretary on the third of September. Neither has been seen since that day, so far as any one knows. Theearth seems to have swallowed them. The authori t ies are searching



the mountains and are making every effort to f ind Jones or his body. He is known to be eccentric and at f irst not much importancewas at tached to his act ions. That is al l we can tel l you at present . There may be developments to-morrow. It looks bad--terribly bad. We--we had the utmost confidence in Jones. My God, Iwish I could help you, my boy."

"I don't blame you, gentlemen," said Brewster, bravely. "It 's justmy luck, that 's al l . Something told me al l a long that-- that i twouldn't turn out r ight . I wasn' t looking for this kind of end,though. My only fear was that--Jones wouldn't consider me worthyto receive the fortune. I t never occurred to me that he might prove to be the--the unworthy one."

"I wil l take you a l i t t le farther into our confidence, Brewster,"said Grant , slowly. "Mr. Jones notif ied us at the beginning that

he would be governed largely in his decision by our opinion of your conduct . That is why we fel t no hesi tat ion in advising you tocontinue as you were going. While you were off at sea, we had manylet ters from him, al l in that sarcast ic vein of his, but in noneof them did he offer a word of cri t icism. He seemed thoroughlysat isfied with your methods. In fact , he once said he 'd give amil l ion of his own money if i t would purchase your abi l i ty tospend one-fourth of i t ."

"Well , he can have my experience free of charge. A beggar can' t bea chooser, you know," said Brewster, bi t terly. His color wasgradually coming back. "What do they know about the secretary?" heasked, suddenly, intent and al ive.

"He was a new one, I understand, who came to Jones less than ayear ago. Jones is said to have had implici t fai th in him," saidRipley.

"And he disappeared at the same t ime?"

"They were last seen together."

"Then he has put an end to Jones!" cried Monty, exci tedly. "It isas plain as day to me. Don't you see that he exerted some sort of influence over the old man, inducing him to get al l this moneytogether on some pretext or other, solely for the purpose of robbing him of the whole amount? Was ever anything morediabolical?" He began pacing the f loor l ike an animal , nervously



clasping and unclasping his hands. "We must catch that secretary!I don't bel ieve Jones was dishonest . He has been duped by a clever scoundrel ."

"The strangest circumstance of al l , Mr. Brewster, is that no such person as Golden, the purchaser of your properties, can be found.

He is supposed to reside in Omaha, and i t is known that he paidnearly three mil l ion dollars for the property that now stands inhis name. He paid i t to Mr. Jones in cash, too, and he paid everycent that the property is worth."

"But he must be in existence somewhere," cried Brewster, in perplexi ty. "How the devil could he pay the money if he doesn'texist?"

"I only know that no trace of the man can be found. They know

nothing of him in Omaha," said Grant , helplessly.

"So i t has f inal ly happened," said Brewster, but his exci tementhad dropped. "Well ," he added, throwing himself into a deep chair ,"i t was always much too strange to be t rue. Even at the beginningit seemed l ike a dream, and now--well , now I am just awake, l ikethe l i t t le boy after the fairy-tale . I seem l ike a fool to havetaken i t so seriously."

"There was no other way," protested Ripley, "you were quiteright ."

"Well , after al l ," continued Brewster, and the voice was as of onein a dream, "perhaps i t 's as well to have been in Wonderland evenif you have to come down afterward to the ordinary world. I amfoolish, perhaps, but even now I would not give i t up." Then thethought of Peggy clutched him by the throat , and he stopped. After a moment he gathered himself together and rose. "Gentlemen," hesaid sharply, and his voice had changed; "I have had my fun andthis is the end of i t . Down underneath I am desperately t i red of the whole thing, and I give you my word that you wil l f ind me a

different man to-morrow. I am going to buckle down to the realthing. I am going to prove that my grandfather 's blood is in me.And I shal l come out on top."

Ripley was obviously moved as he repl ied, "I don't quest ion i t for a moment. You are made of the r ight stuff . I saw that long ago.You may count on us to-morrow for any amount you need."



Grant endorsed the opinion. "I l ike your spiri t , Brewster," hesaid. "There are not many men who would have taken this as well .I t 's pret ty hard on you, too, and i t 's a miserable wedding giftfor your bride."

"We may have important news from Butte in the morning," saidRipley, hopeful ly; "at any rate , more of the detai ls. Thenewspapers wil l have sensat ional stories no doubt , and we haveasked for the latest part iculars direct from the authori t ies.We'l l see that things are properly invest igated. Go home now, my boy, and go to bed. You will begin to-morrow with good luck onyour side and you may be happy al l your l i fe in spi te of to-night 's depression."

"I 'm sure to be happy," said Brewster, simply. "The ceremony takes

place at seven o 'clock, gentlemen. I was coming to your office atnine on a l i t t le matter of business, but I fancy i t won't after al l be necessary for me to hurry. I ' l l drop in before noon,however, and get that money. By the way, here are the receipts for the money I spent to-night . Wil l you put them away with theothers? I intend to l ive up to my part of the contract , and i twil l save me the t rouble of presenting them regularly in themorning. Good night , gentlemen. I am sorry you were obliged tostay up so late on my account ."

He left them bravely enough, but he had more than one moment of weakness before he could meet his fr iends. The world seemed unrealand himself the most unreal thing in i t . But the night air actedas a st imulant and helped him to cal l back his courage. When heentered the studio at one o 'clock, he was prepared to redeem his promise to be "the jollies t fellow of them all ."

CHAPTER XXXIV

THE LAST WORD

"I' l l te l l you about i t la ter , dear," was al l that Peggy, pleading, could draw from him.



At midnight Mrs. Dan had remonstrated with her. "You must go home,Peggy, dear," she said. "It is disgraceful for you to stay up solate . I went to bed at eight o 'clock the night before I wasmarried."

"And fel l asleep at four in the morning," smiled Peggy.

"You are quite mistaken, my dear. I did not fal l asleep at al l .But I won't a l low you to stop a minute longer. I t puts r ings under the eyes and sometimes they're red the morning after ."

"Oh, you dear, sweet philosopher," cried Peggy; "how wise you are.Do you think I need a beauty sleep?"

"I don't want you to be a sleepy beauty, that 's al l ," retorted

Mrs. Dan.

Upon Monty's return from his t rying hour with the lawyers, he had been besieged with questions, but he was cleverly evasive. Peggyalone was insistent ; she had curbed her curiosi ty unti l they wereon the way home, and then she implored him to tel l her what hadhappened. The misery he had endured was as nothing to hisreckoning with the woman who had the r ight to expect fair t reatment . His duty was clear, but the strain had been heavy andit was not easy to meet i t .

"Peggy, something terrible has happened," he fal tered, uncertainof his course.

"Tell me everything, Monty, you can trust me to be brave."

"When I asked you to marry me," he continued gravely, "i t was withthe thought that I could give you everything to-morrow. I lookedfor a fortune. I never meant that you should marry a pauper."

"I don't understand. You tr ied to test my love for you?"

"No, chi ld, not that . But I was pledged not to speak of the moneyI expected, and I wanted you so much before i t came."

"And i t has fai led you?" she answered. "I can' t see that i tchanges things. I expected to marry a pauper, as you cal l i t . Doyou think this could make a difference?"



"But you don't understand, Peggy. I haven't a penny in the world."

"You hadn't a penny when I accepted you," she repl ied. "I am notafraid. I bel ieve in you. And if you love me I shal l not give youup."

"Dearest!" and the carriage was at the door before another wordwas ut tered. But Monty cal led to the coachman to drive just oncearound the block.

"Good night , my darl ing," he said when they reached home. "Sleepti l l e ight o 'clock if you l ike. There is nothing now in the way of having the wedding at nine, instead of at seven. In fact , I have areason for wanting my whole fortune to come to me then. You wil l be all that I have in the world, chi ld, but I am the happiest man

alive."

In his room the strain was relaxed and Brewster faced the bi t ter real i ty. Without undressing he threw himself upon the lounge andwondered what the world held for him. I t held Peggy at least , hethought , and she was enough. But had he been fair to her? Was heright in exact ing a sacrif ice? His t i red brain whirled in theeffort to decide. Only one thing was clear--that he could not giveher up. The future grew black at the very thought of i t . With her he could make things go, but alone i t was another matter . He wouldtake the plunge and he would just i fy i t . His mind went t ravel ing back over the graceless year, and he suddenly realized that he hadforfei ted the confidence of men who were worth while . His coursein profl igacy would not be considered the best t raining for business. The thought nerved him to act ion. He must make good.Peggy had fai th in him. She came to him when everything wasagainst him, and he would slave for her, he would starve, he woulddo anything to prove that she was not mistaken in him. She atleast should know him for a man.

Looking toward the window he saw the black, uneasy night give way

to the coming day. Haggard and faint he arose from the couch towatch the approach of the sun that is indifferent to wealth and poverty, to gayety and dejection. From far off in the gray lightthere came the sound of a f ive o 'clock bel l . A l i t t le later theshrieks of factory whist les were borne to his ears, muffled bydistance but pregnant with the importance of a new day of toi l .They were cal l ing him, with al l poor men, to the sweat-shop and



the forge, to the great mil l of l i fe . The new era had begun,dawning bright and clear to disperse the gloom in his soul .Leaning against the casement and wondering where he could earn thefirst dol lar for the Peggy Brewster that was Peggy Gray, he roseto meet i t with a f ine unfl inching fearlessness.

Before seven o 'clock he was down stairs and wait ing. Joe Bragdon joined him a bit later , fol lowed by Gardner and the minister . TheDeMilles appeared without an invitat ion, but they were not denied.Mrs. Dan sagely shook her head when told that Peggy was st i l lasleep and that the ceremony was off t i l l nine o 'clock.

"Monty, are you going away?" asked Dan, drawing him into a corner.

"Just a week in the hi l ls ," answered Monty, suddenly rememberingthe generosi ty of his at torneys.

"Come in and see me as soon as you return, old man," said DeMille ,and Monty knew that a posi t ion would be open to him.

To Mrs. Dan fel l the honor of helping Peggy dress. By the t ime shehad had coffee and was ready to go down, she was pink withexcitement and had quite forgotten the anxiety which had made thenight an age.

She had never been pret t ier than on her wedding morning. Her color was r ich, her eyes as clear as stars, her woman's body the pictureof grace and heal th. Monty's heart leaped high with love of her.

"The pret t iest gir l in New York, by Jove," gasped Dan DeMille ,clutching Bragdon by the arm.

"And look at Monty! He's become a new man in the last f iveminutes," added Joe. "Look at the glow in his cheeks! By theeternal , he 's beginning to look as he did a year ago."

A clock chimed the hour of nine.

"The man who was here yesterday is in the hal l to see Mr.Brewster," said the maid, a few minutes after the minister haduttered the words that gave Peggy a new name. There was a momentof si lence, almost of dread.

"You mean the fel low with the beard?" asked Monty, uneasi ly.



"Yes, sir . He sent in this let ter , begging you to read i t a tonce."

"Shall I send him away, Monty?" demanded Bragdon, defiant ly. "Whatdoes he mean by coming at this t ime?"

"I ' l l read the let ter f i rst , Joe."

Every eye was on Brewster as he tore open the envelope. His facewas expressive. There was wonder in i t , then increduli ty, then joy. He threw the letter to Bragdon, clasped Peggy in his armsspasmodical ly, and then, releasing her, dashed for the hal l l ikeone bereft of reason.

"It 's Nopper Harrison!" he cried, and a moment later the tal l

visi tor was dragged into the circle . "Nopper" was quite overcome by the heartiness of his welcome.

"You are an angel , Nopper, God bless you!" said Monty, withconvincing emphasis. "Joe, read that let ter aloud and thenadvert ise for the return of those Boston terriers!"

Bragdon's hands trembled and his voice was not sure as hetranslated the scrawl, "Nopper" Harrison standing behind him for the gleeful purpose of prompting him when the wri t ing was beyondthe range of human intel l igence:

HOLLAND HOUSE, Sept. 23, 19--

"MR. MONTGOMERY BREWSTER,

"My Dear Boy:

"So you thought I had given you the sl ip, eh? Didn't think I 'dshow up here and do my part? Well , I don't blame you; I supposeI 've acted l ike a damned idiot , but so long as i t turns out O.K.

there 's no harm done. The wolf won't gnaw very much of a hole inyour door, I reckon. This let ter introduces my secretary, Mr.Oliver Harrison. He came to me last June, out in Butte , with the prospectus of a claim he had staked out up in the mountains. Whathe wanted was backing and he had such a good show to win out thatI went into cahoots with him. He's got a mine up there that isdead sure to yield mil l ions. Seems as though he has to give you



half of the yield, though. Says you grub-staked him. Good fel low,this Harrison. Needed a secretary and man of affairs, so took himinto my office. You can see that he did not take me up into themountains to murder me, as the papers say this morning. Damnedrot . Nobody's business but my own if I concluded to come eastwithout tel l ing everybody in Butte about i t .

"I am here and so is the money. Got in last night . Harrison camefrom Chicago a day ahead of me. I went to the office of G. & R. ateight this morning. Found them in a hel l of a stew. Thought I 'dskipped out or been murdered. Money al l gone, everything gone tosmash. That 's what they thought . Don't blame 'em much. You see i twas this way: I concluded to fol low out the terms of the wil l anddeliver the goods in person. I got together al l of Jim Sedgwick'sstuff and did a lot of other fool things, I suppose, and hiked onto New York. You'l l f ind about seven mil l ion dollars ' worth of

stuff to your credi t when you endorse the cert i f ied checks down atGrant & Ripley's, my boy. I t 's a l l here and in the banks.

"It 's a mighty decent sort of wedding gift , I reckon.

"The lawyers told me al l about you. Told me al l about last night ,and that you were going to be married this morning. By this t imeyou're comparat ively happy with the bride, I guess. I looked over your report and took a few peeps at the receipts. They're al lr ight . I 'm sat isfied. The money is yours. Then I got to thinkingthat maybe you wouldn't care to come down at nine o 'clock,especial ly as you are just recovering from the joy of beingmarried, so I set t led with the lawyers and they' l l set t le withyou. If you have nothing in part icular to do this afternoon abouttwo o'clock, I 'd suggest that you come to the hotel and we'l ldispose of a few formali t ies that the law requires of us. And youcan give me some lessons in spending money. I 've got a l i t t le I 'dl ike to miss some morning. As for your abi l i ty as a business man,I have this to say: Any man who can spend a mil l ion a year andhave nothing to show for i t , don't need a recommendation fromanybody. He's in a class by himself , and i t 's a business that no

one else can give him a pointer about . The best test of your realcapaci ty, my boy, is the way you l isted your property for taxat ion. I t 's a t rue sign of business sagaci ty. That would havedecided me in your favor i f everything else had been against you.

"I 'm sorry you've been worried about al l this. You have gonethrough a good deal in a year and you have been roasted from Hades



to breakfast by everybody. Now i t 's your turn to laugh. I t wil lsurprise them to read the 'extras ' to-day. I 've done my duty toyou in more ways than one. I 've got myself interviewed by thenewspapers and to-day they' l l print the whole t ruth aboutMontgomery Brewster and his mil l ions. They've got the Sedgwick wil l and my story and the old town wil l boi l with exci tement . I

guess you'l l be squared before the world, al l r ight . You'd bet ter stay indoors for awhile though, i f you want to have a quiethoneymoon.

"I don't l ike New York. Never did. Am going back to Butte to-night . Out there we have real skyscrapers and they are not bui l tof brick. They are two or three miles high and they have gold in'em. There is real grass in the lowlands and we have val leys thatmake Central Park look l ike a half inch of nothing. Probably youand Mrs. Brewster were going to take a wedding tr ip, so why not go

west with me in my car? We start a t 7:45 P.M. and I won't bother you. Then you can take i t anywhere you l ike.

"Sincerely yours,

"SWEARENGEN JONES.

"P.S. I forgot to say there is no s uch man as Golden. I boughtyour mines and ranches with my own money. You may buy them back atthe same figures. I 'd advise you to do i t . They'l l be worth twiceas much in a year. I hope you'l l forgive the whims of an old manwho has l iked you from the start .

J ."

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