and educated, and
also how he is being treated, and she has decided to find those things
out."

"It's a case of her old suspicions being revived?" Mrs. Graham asked.

"I suppose so; anyway, she's mighty suspicious."

"Who's been peddling stories to her?"

"That's something I didn't find out."

"Don't you think a $25-a-day man ought to find out?"

"Perhaps; and perhaps I could have discovered that very thing if I had
thought it wise to spend the time on it. After the mischief was done, it
seemed hardly worth while to expend any effort to find the mischief
maker. I decided it was best to get after the mischief itself and stop
it."

"I suppose you're right," assented Mrs. Graham. "But it really would be
a lot of satisfaction to know who the traitor is."

"This is no time to waste any of your efforts on revenge. That may come
later, not now. But how about my fee?"

"You ask too much."

"I don't agree with you. That is a very small fee, compared with what
some attorneys get. Why, I know lawyers who never take a case under $100
a day."

"That's in the big cities, where they are under heavy expenses--costly
offices and office help."

"Where do you get your information?"

"Oh, I have traveled and lived," the woman replied with emphasis on the
last word. "And I know there are plenty of judges who get only $10 a
day, some less. Now, what do you think of that? Do you think you ought
to get more than a judge?"

"Oh, fudge on the judges," Langford exclaimed in affected disgust. "No
big lawyer will take one of those political jobs. There are lots of big
lawyers making $50,000 or $100,000 a year, and there are few judges
getting more than $10,000."

"Well, I can't pay more than $10 a day, and I can't pay that very long.
We're under heavy expenses here and in Baltimore."

"You ought to economize, Mrs. Graham," Langford advised. "Remember, this
special income can't last forever. The boy is past 10 years old now, and
if nobody takes it away from you earlier, it will stop when he is 21."

"Take it away!" Mrs. Graham exclaimed in a startled manner, indicating
that her apprehension had not carried her imagination as far as this.

"Sure--why not?" the lawyer returned. "What do you think all this talk
about spies has been leading up to?--a Christmas present? If Mrs.
Hutchins is suspicious enough to send a lot of spies here to get the
goods on you, don't you think she has some notion of taking some sort of
drastic actio