y owned by the Development Company.

He was gone almost an hour. On his return he met Galusha walking slowly
along the lane. The little man was without his overcoat, his hands were
clasped behind him and, although his eyes were open, he seemed to
see nothing, for he stumbled and staggered, sometimes in the road and
sometimes in the dead weeds and briars beside it. He did not see his
cousin, either, until the latter spoke. Then he looked up and nodded
recognition.

"Oh!" he observed. "Yes, of course. Ah--How do you do?"

Cabot was looking him straight in the face.

"Loosh," he asked, sharply. "What is it? What is the matter?"

Galusha passed his hand across his forehead.

"Oh, nothing, nothing," he answered.

"Nonsense! You look as if--Well, you can't tell me nothing is wrong.
ISN'T there something wrong?"

The saddest smile in all creation passed across Galusha's face.
"Why--why, yes," he said. "I suppose everything is wrong. I should have
expected it to be, of course. I--I did, but--ah--for a little while I
was--ah--foolish and--and hoped. It is quite all right, Cousin Gussie,
absolutely so. She said it was--ah--impossible. Of course it is. She is
quite right. Oh, quite."

Cabot caught his meaning. "Do you mean to say," he demanded, "that you
asked that--that Phipps woman to marry you and she REFUSED?"

"Eh? Oh, yes, she refused. I told you she would not think of such a
thing. That is exactly what she said; it was impossible, she could not
think of it."

"Well, confound her impudence!... Oh, all right, Galusha, all right. I
beg your pardon--and hers. But, really--"

Galusha stopped him. "Cousin Gussie," he said, "if you don't mind I
think I won't talk about it any more. You will excuse me, won't you?
I shall be all right, quite all right--after I--ah--after a time, you
know."

"Where are you going now?"

"Eh? Oh, I don't know. Just somewhere, that's all. Good-by, Cousin
Gussie."

He turned and walked on again, his hands clasped behind his back and his
head bent. Cabot watched him for several minutes, then, entirely upon
impulse and without stopping to consider, he began what was, as he said
afterwards, either the craziest or the most inspired performance of
his life. He walked straight to the Phipps' gate and up the walk to the
Phipps' door. His chauffeur called to him that the car was ready, but he
did not answer.

Primmie opened the door in answer to his knock. Yes, Miss Martha was
in the sittin