"I hope, Miss McIntyre," said Raffles Haw, when they had descended to
the sitting-room once more, "that you will do me the honour of coming to
see the little curiosities which I have gathered together. Your brother
will, I am sure, escort you up; or perhaps Mr. McIntyre would care to
come?"

"I shall be delighted to come, Mr. Haw," cried Laura, with her sweetest
smile. "A good deal of my time just now is taken up in looking after the
poor people, who find the cold weather very trying." Robert raised his
eyebrows, for it was the first he had heard of his sister's missions of
mercy, but Mr. Raffles Haw nodded approvingly. "Robert was telling us of
your wonderful hot-houses. I am sure I wish I could transport the whole
parish into one of them, and give them a good warm."

"Nothing would be easier, but I am afraid that they might find it a
little trying when they came out again. I have one house which is only
just finished. Your brother has not seen it yet, but I think it is the
best of them all. It represents an Indian jungle, and is hot enough in
all conscience."

"I shall so look forward to seeing it," cried Laura, clasping her hands.
"It has been one of the dreams of my life to see India. I have read so
much of it, the temples, the forests, the great rivers, and the tigers.
Why, you would hardly believe it, but I have never seen a tiger except
in a picture."

"That can easily be set right," said Raffles Haw, with his quiet smile.
"Would you care to see one?"

"Oh, immensely."

"I will have one sent down. Let me see, it is nearly twelve o'clock. I
can get a wire to Liverpool by one. There is a man there who deals in
such things. I should think he would be due to-morrow morning. Well,
I shall look forward to seeing you all before very long. I have rather
outstayed my time, for I am a man of routine, and I always put in a
certain number of hours in my laboratory." He shook hands cordially with
them all, and lighting his pipe at the doorstep, strolled off upon his
way.

"Well, what do you think of him now?" asked Robert, as they watched his
black figure against the white snow.

"I think that he is no more fit to be trusted with all that money than a
child," cried the old man. "It made me positively sick to hear him talk
of moving hills and buying tigers, and such-like nonsense, when there
are honest men without a business, and great businesses starving for a
little capital. It's unchristian--that's what I call i