out into the
bay from MacWilliams' railroad, and the face of the first mountain was
scarred and torn of its green, and left in mangled nakedness, while the
ringing of hammers and picks, and the racking blasts of dynamite, and
the warning whistles of the dummy-engines drove away the accumulated
silence of centuries.

It had been a long uphill fight, and Clay had enjoyed it mightily. Two
unexpected events had contributed to help it. One was the arrival in
Valencia of young Teddy Langham, who came ostensibly to learn the
profession of which Clay was so conspicuous an example, and in reality
to watch over his father's interests. He was put at Clay's elbow, and
Clay made him learn in spite of himself, for he ruled him and
MacWilliams of both of whom he was very fond, as though, so they
complained, they were the laziest and the most rebellious members of
his entire staff. The second event of importance was the announcement
made one day by young Langham that his father's physician had ordered
rest in a mild climate, and that he and his daughters were coming in a
month to spend the winter in Valencia, and to see how the son and heir
had developed as a man of business.

The idea of Mr. Langham's coming to visit Olancho to inspect his new
possessions was not a surprise to Clay. It had occurred to him as
possible before, especially after the son had come to join them there.
The place was interesting and beautiful enough in itself to justify a
visit, and it was only a ten days' voyage from New York. But he had
never considered the chance of Miss Langham's coming, and when that was
now not only possible but a certainty, he dreamed of little else. He
lived as earnestly and toiled as indefatigably as before, but the place
was utterly transformed for him. He saw it now as she would see it
when she came, even while at the same time his own eyes retained their
point of view. It was as though he had lengthened the focus of a
glass, and looked beyond at what was beautiful and picturesque, instead
of what was near at hand and practicable. He found himself smiling
with anticipation of her pleasure in the orchids hanging from the dead
trees, high above the opening of the mine, and in the parrots hurling
themselves like gayly colored missiles among the vines; and he
considered the harbor at night with its colored lamps floating on the
black water as a scene set for her eyes. He planned the dinners that
he would give in her honor