your
head, my friend, that I ever fancied Mr. Lyon?"

"Not for himself--" began Henderson, mischievously.

"That will do." She stopped him. "Or that he ever had any intention--"

"I don't see how he could resist such--"

"Stuff! See here, Mr. Rodney!" The girl sprang up, seized a plaque from
the table, held it aloft in one hand, took half a dozen fascinating,
languid steps, advancing and retreating with the grace of a Nautch girl,
holding her dress with the other hand so as to allow a free movement.
"Do you think I'd ever do that for John the Lyon's head on a charger?"

Then her mood changed to the domestic, as she threw herself into an
easy-chair and said: "After all, I'm rather sorry he has gone. He was a
man you could trust; that is, if you wanted to trust anybody--I wish I
had been made good."

When Henderson bade her good-night it was with the renewed impression
that she was a very diverting comrade.

"I'm sort of sorry for you," she said, and her eyes were not so serious
as to offend, as she gave him her hand, "for when you are married, you
know, as the saying is, you'll want some place to spend your evenings."
The audacity of the remark was quite obscured in the innocent frankness
and sweetness of her manner.

What Henderson had to show Hollowell in his office had been of a nature
greatly to interest that able financier. It was a project that would
have excited the sympathy of Carmen, but Henderson did not speak of
it to her--though he had found that she was a safe deposit of daring
schemes in general--on account of a feeling of loyalty to Margaret, to
whom he had never mentioned it in any of his daily letters. The scheme
made a great deal of noise, later on, when it came to the light of
consummation in legislatures and in courts, both civil and criminal; but
its magnitude and success added greatly to Henderson's reputation as
a bold and fortunate operator, and gave him that consideration which
always attaches to those who command millions of money, and have the
nerve to go undaunted through the most trying crises. I am anticipating
by saying that it absolutely ruined thousands of innocent people, caused
widespread strikes and practical business paralysis over a large region;
but those things were regarded as only incidental to a certain sort of
development, and did not impair the business standing, and rather helped
the social position, of the two or three men who counted their gains by
millions in the