e me so!"

Some days later I again knocked at Peter's door. I had determined, with
or without his consent, to go myself to Foscari's, redeem the miniature
and explain the circumstances, and let them know exactly who Peter was.
My hand had hardly touched the panel when his cheery voice rang out:

"Whoever you are, come in!"

He had sprung from his chair now and had advanced to greet me.

"Oh, is it you! So glad--come over here before you get your coat off.
Look!"

"The Cosway! You paid the bill and redeemed it?"

"Didn't cost me a cent."

"They sent it to you, then, and apologized?"

"Nothing of the kind. Give me your hat and coat and plump yourself down
on that chair by the fire. I've got the most extraordinary story to
tell you you've ever heard in your whole life."

He was himself again--the same bubbling spirit, the same warmth in his
manner, foxes out frolicking, lighthouse flashing, everything let loose.

"Last night I was sitting here at my desk writing, about nine o'clock,
as near as I can remember"--his voice dropped now to a tragic whisper,
as if an encounter with a burglar was to
follow--"WHEN-_I_-HEARD-A-HEAVY-TREAD-ON-THE-STAIRS, getting louder and
louder as it reached my door. Then came a knock strong enough to crack
the panels. I got up at once and turned the knob. In the corridor stood
the Large Man. He was inside before I could stop him--I couldn't have
stopped him. You have no idea, my dear friend, how big and strong that
man is. What he expected to see I don't know, but it evidently was not
what he found.

"'I had a hell of a time finding you,' he began, looking about him in
astonishment. 'Been up and down everywhere inquiring. Only got your
number from that red-headed plate-shover half an hour ago.'"

Peter's voice had now regained its customary volume:

"I had backed to the fireplace by this time and had picked up the
poker, as if to punch the fire, but I really intended to strike him if
he advanced too close or tried to help himself to any of my things. He
never took the slightest notice of my movements, or waited for any
answer to his outburst--just kept right on talking.

"'You were so dead easy there warn't no fun in it. I dropped to that
the first time you opened your head, but Sam had picked you out and it
had to go at that. My wife saw his mistake as soon as she got her eyes
on you, but Sam, like a fool, wouldn't listen. He was to do the
picking, and so I couldn't say a word.