sky. Mike was taken by surprise. He could
hardly be made to believe that the hearty-looking, comfortably-dressed
man whom he found in Mr. Benedict was the same whom he had left many
months before in the rags of a pauper and the emaciation of a feeble
convalescent. The latter expressed to Mike the obligations he felt for
the service which Jim informed him had been rendered by the good-natured
Irishman, and Mike blushed while protesting that it was "nothing at
all, at all," and thinking of the hundred dollars that he earned so
easily.

"Did ye know, Jim," said Mike, to change the subject, "that owld Belcher
has gone to New Yorrk to live?"

"No."

"Yis, the whole kit an' boodle of 'em is gone, an' the purty man wid
'em."

"Hallelujer!" roared Jim.

"Yis, and be gorry he's got me hundred dollars," said Mike.

"What did ye gi'en it to 'im for, Mike? I didn't take ye for a fool."

"Well, ye see, I wint in for ile, like the rist of 'em. Och! ye shud
'ave seen the owld feller talk! 'Mike,' says he, 'ye can't afford to
lose this,' says he. 'I should miss me slape, Mike,' says he, 'if it
shouldn't all come back to ye.' 'An' if it don't,' says I, 'there'll be
two uv us lyin' awake, an' ye'll have plinty of company; an' what they
lose in dhraimin' they'll take out in cussin',' says I. 'Mike,' says he,
'ye hadn't better do it, an' if ye do, I don't take no resk;' an' says
I, 'they're all goin' in, an' I'm goin' wid 'em.' 'Very well,' says he,
lookin' kind o' sorry, and then, be gorry, he scooped the whole pile,
an' barrin' the ile uv his purty spache, divil a bit have I seen more
nor four dollars."

"Divil a bit will ye see agin," said Jim, shaking his head. "Mike, ye're
a fool."

"That's jist what I tell mesilf," responded Mike; "but there's betther
music nor hearin' it repaited; an' I've got betther company in it,
barrin' Mr. Benedict's presence, nor I've got here in me own house."

Jim, finding Mike a little sore over his loss, refrained from further
allusion to it; and Mr. Benedict declared himself ready for bed. Jim had
impatiently waited for this announcement, for he was anxious to have a
long talk with Mike about the new house, the plans for which he had
brought with him.

"Clear off yer table," said Jim, "an' peel yer eyes, Mike, for I'm
goin' to show ye somethin' that'll s'prise ye."

When his order was obeyed, he unrolled the precious plans.

"Now, ye must remember, Mike, that this isn't the house; these