say any more; but I shall think a great deal, Mr. Bangs, and
I never shall stop thinkin'.... There! And now what shall I do with all
this money? Of course, I'll put it in the bank to-morrow, but what will
I do with it to-night? By the way," she added, "it seems queer they
should have paid you in cash instead of a check. Why did they, I
wonder?"

Here was a demand for more explaining. Galusha plunged headlong,
foundered, and then emerged, like a dog, with an explanation, such as it
was, between his teeth.

"They--ah--they thought the money would be safer," he said.

Martha laughed aloud. "Safer?" she repeated. "Why, that's funny. Perhaps
they're right, but I know the only way I shall feel safe between now
and bankin' time tomorrow is to stay awake and watch every minute. Oh,
I sha'n't do that exactly, of course, but I'm beginnin' to realize the
responsibility of havin' riches. Ah hum! I laugh, Mr. Bangs, but you
mustn't think it's because I don't realize what you--I mean... well, I
guess I laugh because I'm kind of hysterical and--happy. I haven't been
so happy for a long, long time. I won't say it again because you don't
want me to, but for this once more, thank you, Mr. Bangs."

As Galusha left her to go to his room, she said: "Now I must go out and
get after Primmie again. I'm scared to death that she'll tell everybody
from here to Provincetown about my bein' worth a million dollars. She
won't make it any LESS than a million, and the chances are it will be
consider'ble more."

"But, Miss Martha, you have already told her not to tell about the
money. I heard you tell her just now when you sent her out of the room."

Martha shrugged her shoulders.

"When you pour water into a sieve," she said, "it doesn't do much good
to tell the sieve not to leak. Father used to say that some folks' heads
were built so that whatever was poured into their ears ran right out of
their mouths. Primmie's is made that way, I'm afraid. She'll swear she
won't tell, and she won't mean to tell, but... Well, good-night, Mr.
Bangs."

CHAPTER XII

Miss Phipps had prophesied that the cares attending the possession of
wealth might interfere with her sleep that night. Concerning his own
slumbers Galusha made no prophecy, but the said slumbers were broken
and scanty, nevertheless. Martha's happiness, her relief, and the kind
things she had said to him, all these were pleasant to reflect upon and
to remember. Not so pleasant was the tho