tions of the
walls and ceiling were toned down by sprays of laurel and red-stained
manzanito boughs with their berries, apparently fresh plucked from the
near canyon. But he was more unexpectedly impressed to see that the room
was at that moment occupied by a tall, handsome girl, who had paused
to take breath, with her hand still on the heavy centre-table she was
moving. Standing there, graceful, glowing, and animated, she looked the
living genius of the recreated apartment.

CHAPTER II

Mr. Rushbrook glanced rapidly at his unknown guest. "Excuse me," he
said, with respectful business brevity, "but I thought every one was
out," and he stepped backward quickly.

"I've only just come," she said without embarrassment, "and would you
mind, as you ARE here, giving me a lift with this table?"

"Certainly," replied Rushbrook, and under the young girl's direction the
millionaire moved the table to one side.

During the operation he was trying to determine which of his
unrecognized guests the fair occupant was. Possibly one of the Leyton
party, that James had spoken of as impending.

"Then you have changed all the furniture, and put up these things?" he
asked, pointing to the laurel.

"Yes, the room was really something TOO awful. It looks better now,
don't you think?"

"A hundred per cent.," said Rushbrook, promptly. "Look here, I'll tell
you what you've done. You've set the furniture TO WORK! It was simply
lying still--with no return to anybody on the investment."

The young girl opened her gray eyes at this, and then smiled. The
intruder seemed to be characteristic of California. As for Rushbrook, he
regretted that he did not know her better, he would at once have asked
her to rearrange all the rooms, and have managed in some way liberally
to reward her for it. A girl like that had no nonsense about her.

"Yes," she said, "I wonder Mr. Rushbrook don't look at it in that way.
It is a shame that all these pretty things--and you know they are really
good and valuable--shouldn't show what they are. But I suppose everybody
here accepts the fact that this man simply buys them because they are
valuable, and nobody interferes, and is content to humor him, laugh at
him, and feel superior. It don't strike me as quite fair, does it you?"

Rushbrook was pleased. Without the vanity that would be either annoyed
at this revelation of his reputation, or gratified at her defense of it,
he was simply glad to discover that she