nd maybe seven, if all goes well with
my last sale.

"But somehow an old distrust of human nature began to get a hold on
me. I found myself wondering whether Matilda, if she should still
be living, would welcome her long-missing brother for himself alone,
or because he was close on a millionaire.

"That bothered me a heap, Hugh. Finally a bright idea came to me,
and I determined to fix myself up like the worst old tramp going,
and pretend to be sick, as well as out of funds. The game appealed
to my liking for new adventures, and---well, you know how it succeeded.
You boys became connected with the affair from the start, and I'm
glad of it, for I like you both.

"All through these weeks I've grimly held out, though ready to call
the game more than a few times when it seemed that poor Matilda was
having a bigger load on her shoulders than she could carry. But I
fixed up several little schemes to ease the strain, when I decided
to hold back the grand disclosure till her birthday. For one thing,
I hid a ten-dollar bill in her Bible, and she never could remember
putting the bill there, although she tried her best. Another time
I wrote a letter in a disguised hand that was signed by a fictitious
name, and which said that in a long-ago deal I had got the better
of her, which my conscience wouldn't allow; so to ease my mind I
was enclosing a twenty-dollar bill to her to cover interest.

"Say, that certainly did make her lie awake and wonder, because, of
course, she couldn't remember anything of the sort; nor could Andrew.
I used to listen to them talking it over again and again, and I am
sure got heaps of enjoyment out of it; but I told them it was
perfectly proper for them to use the money, and they did. I ate
part of it up myself, Hugh.

"Now, I'm getting down to hard facts, boy. I want to let you into
the great secret, and your chum ditto. Could you come over to our
house, say about ten this morning, and fetch that sharp-eyed Thad
along with you? There'll be something about to happen then. We've
already fixed it to go on a little picnic excursion and take our
simple lunch along with us, just to celebrate Matilda's birthday,
you see. And I'll ask you to go along, which you must agree to do,
if you want to have the finest surprise of your life. How about
it, Hugh?"

"There's nothing that I can see to prevent us, Mr. Corbley," the
boy assured him, eagerly, "and to tell the truth wild horses couldn't
hold m