, but he was
also somewhat amused. Harry's acting had been good. That obstinate,
uncompromising immutable fifty!--Iver had really believed in it. And
forty had been his limit--his extreme limit. He just saw his way to
square his accounts satisfactorily if he were driven to pay that as the
penalty of one of his rare mistakes. He glanced at Sloyd; radiant joy
and relief illumined that young man's face, as he gave his mustache an
upward twirl. Duplay was smiling--yes, smiling. At last Iver smiled too.
Harry was grave--not solemn--but merely not smiling because he did not
perceive anything to smile at. No doubt he was gratified by the success
of his tactics, and pleased that his formidable opponent had been
deceived by them. But he thought nothing of what impressed Iver most.
The tactics had been, no doubt, well conceived and carried out, but they
were ordinary enough in their nature; Iver himself, and dozens of men he
had met, could have executed them as well. What struck him was that
Harry knew how far he could go, that he stopped on the verge, but not
beyond the boundary where a deal was possible. Mere guesswork could not
account for that, nor had he commanded the sources of information which
would have made the conclusion a matter of ordinary intelligent
calculation. No, he had intuitions; he must have an eye. Now eyes were
rare; and when they were found they were to be used. Iver was much
surprised at finding one in Harry. Yet it must be in Harry; Iver was
certain that Sloyd had known nothing of the plan of campaign or of the
decisive figure on which his associate had pitched.

"I'll give you forty," he said at last. "For the whole thing, lock,
stock, and barrel--forty."

"It's a bargain," said Harry, and Iver, with a sigh (for forty was the
extreme figure), pushed back his chair and rose to his feet.

"We've got a good many plans, sir," suggested Sloyd, very anxious to
establish pleasant relations. "I'm sure we should be very glad if you
found them of any service."

"You're very good, Mr Sloyd, but----"

"You may as well have a look at them," interrupted Harry. "There are one
or two good ideas. You'll explain them, won't you, Sloyd?"

Sloyd had already placed one in Iver's hand, who glanced at it, took
another, compared them, and after a minute's pause held both out to the
Major.

"Well, Duplay, suppose you look at them and hear anything that Mr Sloyd
is good enough to say, and report to me? You're at leisure?