s,
crossed a broad tract of smooth green turf, dotted by thrift and silver
weed, and pushed on to the lower flats where the sea-lavender and
samphire grew. Then they skirted miry creeks that gradually filled
with weeds as they neared dry ground, and went home to Langrigg by the
causeway road. Jim was muddy, but happy; although he told himself he
had not decided yet, half-formed plans floated through his brain.

A day or two afterwards, Dick Halliday and Mordaunt came over to
Langrigg and were shown into the hall. Jim was not there, but his pipe
and some books lay about and the others sat down. Presently Dick
picked up a book and saw it was the old French romance from which
Mordaunt had read a passage at the telegraph shack. He opened it
carelessly and then started when he saw, _Franklin Dearham_, written in
faded ink, on the first blank page. He looked across at Mordaunt and
hesitated, with a vague suspicion in his mind. It was possible the
latter had seen the writing when he opened the book at the shack, and
if he had----

"You look as if you have found something interesting," Mordaunt
remarked.

"It is interesting," said Dick, and felt relieved when he heard a step
in the passage. He did not think Mordaunt, sitting some distance off,
knew the book.

Next moment Jim came in and stated that he was alone. Mordaunt lighted
a cigarette Jim gave him and asked if his friends were staying long.

"I don't know," said Jim. "We have made no plans yet, but I imagine I
shall keep Langrigg."

"Do you mean you had thought about selling the estate?" Mordaunt asked,
rather sharply.

"I did think about it, but don't know if I went much farther. The
matter's complicated."

"Langrigg is rather an expensive house to manage and the farm rents are
low," Mordaunt answered in a thoughtful voice. "Have you any money?
Perhaps I'm blunt, but I'm a relative."

"I have some. Not enough to help me do all I want."

"You mean to do something, then?"

"If I stay, I'm going to put up the farm rents, though I mean to help
my tenants pay. I'm going to enlarge the small fields, alter
boundaries, and fix things so the land can be worked on the economical
Canadian plan. The drawback is it may cost me much and I must wait for
the return."

Dick laughed. "There are other drawbacks and it may cost you more than
you know. In this country you can't do what you like, and we resent
experiments. If you meddle with old-fashioned cu