entary benefit on gloomy Egypt--the listeners
did manage to crease their countenances with grins; Britt surveyed those
grins before he turned his attention to Elias. But all he did turn was
his attention--silent, bodeful, malicious scrutiny. The onlookers were
considerably surprised by Britt's silence; they wondered what controlled
his tongue; but they were not in doubt on one point--every man of them
knew that when Tasper Britt wore that expression it meant that he
had settled upon the method of his revenge in the case of one who had
offended him.

After a few moments Britt turned from his stare at the Prophet and
dropped what was nigh to being a bombshell; it was more effective
because it had nothing to do with the matter in hand.

"Listen, fellow townsmen! We all know that we ought to put our shoulders
to the wheel and do something for poor Egypt. I propose to start off."
He pointed to the old Britt mansion. "I'm going to tear down my house."

The men of Egypt goggled at him.

"Aye! And start off with it?" queried the Prophet. "Good riddance!"

But Mr. Britt was not troubling himself about the mouthings of Elias.

"I shall put a crew on it to-morrow. A city contractor will arrive here
this afternoon with equipment and men. But he can also use all the local
men who want to work. All who will pitch in can hire with him at the
regular scale of wages. As soon as the site is cleared I shall start
work on a new house. The plans are drawn. I have them here."

He snapped the rubber bands off a roll which he carried under his arm.
He exhibited a watercolor facade elevation, stretching his arms wide and
holding the paper in front of his face. The men came crowding around.
They saw the drawing of a pretentious structure with towers and
porticoes. Britt, holding the architect's broad sheet so that his
features were hidden, explained the details of his project in regard to
rooms and grounds. There was a hateful expression on the hidden face;
it was the face of a man who hoped he was stirring jealous envy in those
whom he wished to punish.

"It will be a mansion to the queen's taste, when you get it done,"
observed one man; he took advantage of the fact that Britt could not see
him and winked at a neighbor. But if the man hoped to get a rise out of
the builder in regard to a possible queen, he was disappointed.

Another citizen was more venturesome: "I'm taking it for granted that
you don't intend to keep old-bach hall in