oy to
her, and begged him to give her his shoulder and help her home. The
request was so sweetly made, she expressed her obligations so
courteously, she smiled upon him so beautifully, she praised him so
ingenuously, she shook his hand at parting so heartily; that he went
home all aglow from his heart to his finger's ends.

Mrs. Dillingham had made Harry Benedict's acquaintance, which she
managed to keep alive by bows in the street and bows from the
window,--managed to keep alive until the lad worshiped her as a sort of
divinity and, to win her smiling recognition, would go out of his way a
dozen blocks on any errand about the city.

He recognized her--knew her as the beautiful woman he had seen in the
great house across the street before Mr. Belcher arrived in town.
Recognizing her as such, he kept the secret of his devotion to himself,
for fear that it would be frowned upon by his good friends the Balfours.
Mr. Belcher, however, knew all about it, rejoiced in it, and counted
upon it as a possible means in the accomplishment of his ends.

CHAPTER XVI.

WHICH GIVES AN ACCOUNT OF A VOLUNTARY AND AN INVOLUNTARY VISIT OF SAM
YATES TO NUMBER NINE.

Mr. Belcher followed up the acquaintance which he had so happily made on
New Year's Day with many of the leading operators of Wall street, during
the remainder of the winter, and, by the careful and skillful
manipulation of the minor stocks of the market, not only added to his
wealth by sure and steady degrees, but built up a reputation for
sagacity and boldness. He struck at them with a strong hand, and
gradually became a recognized power on 'Change. He knew that he would
not be invited into any combinations until he had demonstrated his
ability to stand alone. He understood that he could not win a leading
position in any of the great financial enterprises until he had shown
that he had the skill to manage them. He was playing for two
stakes--present profit and future power and glory; and he played with
brave adroitness.

During the same winter the work at Number Nine went on according to
contract. Mike Conlin found his second horse and the requisite sled,
and, the river freezing solidly and continuously, he was enabled not
only to draw the lumber to the river, but up to the very point where it
was to be used, and where Jim and Mr. Benedict were hewing and framing
their timber, and pursuing their trapping with unflinching industry.
Number Ten was transformed into