and if you could help me--"

"If you want me to trot Lanner round the countryside, inspecting alleged
Roman remains and studying local methods of bee culture and crop raising,
I'm afraid I can't oblige you," said Clovis. "You see, he's taken
something like an aversion to me since the other night in the smoking-
room."

"What happened in the smoking-room?"

"He trotted out some well-worn chestnut as the latest thing in good
stories, and I remarked, quite innocently, that I never could remember
whether it was George II. or James II. who was so fond of that particular
story, and now he regards me with politely-draped dislike. I'll do my
best for you, if the opportunity arises, but it will have to be in a
roundabout, impersonal manner."

* * * * *

"It's so nice having Mr. Lanner here," confided Mrs. Olston to Clovis the
next afternoon; "he's always been engaged when I've asked him before.
Such a nice man; he really ought to be married to some nice girl. Between
you and me, I have an idea that he came down here for a certain reason."

"I've had much the same idea," said Clovis, lowering his voice; "in fact,
I'm almost certain of it."

"You mean he's attracted by--" began Mrs. Olston eagerly.

"I mean he's here for what he can get," said Clovis.

"For what he can _get_?" said the hostess with a touch of indignation in
her voice; "what do you mean? He's a very rich man. What should he want
to get here?"

"He has one ruling passion," said Clovis, "and there's something he can
get here that is not to be had for love nor for money anywhere else in
the country, as far as I know."

"But what? Whatever do you mean? What is his ruling passion?"

"Egg-collecting," said Clovis. "He has agents all over the world getting
rare eggs for him, and his collection is one of the finest in Europe; but
his great ambition is to collect his treasures personally. He stops at
no expense nor trouble to achieve that end."

"Good heavens! The buzzards, the rough-legged buzzards!" exclaimed Mrs.
Olston; "you don't think he's going to raid their nest?"

"What do you think yourself?" asked Clovis; "the only pair of
rough-legged buzzards known to breed in this country are nesting in your
woods. Very few people know about them, but as a member of the league
for protecting rare birds that information would be at his disposal. I
came down in the train with him, and I noticed that a bulky volume of
Dresser's 'Birds of Europe' was o