ped, between thirty and forty years of age. During
business hours he spoke only to give an order or to put a question.
Out of working hours, in his manner to his assistants and workmen, he
was genially democratic. He had, apparently, a dread of being alone,
and was seldom seen without one of the younger engineers at his elbow.
With them he was considered a cynic, the reason given for his cynicism
being that "the Chief" had tried to "take a fall out of matrimony,"
and had come out of it a woman-hater. Officially he was Roddy's
superior, but it never was possible for any one in the pay of the F.
C. C. to forget that Roddy was the son of his father. Even McKildrick,
in certain ways, acknowledged it. One way was, in their leisure
moments, not to seek out Roddy, but to wait for the younger man
to make advances. On this occasion, after for a brief moment
contemplating McKildrick severely, Roddy, with an impatient
exclamation, as though dismissing doubts and misgivings, sat down
beside him.

"McKildrick," he began impetuously, "I want to ask you an impertinent
question. It concerns your moral character."

McKildrick grinned appreciatively.

"We court investigation," he said.

"Under what pressure to the square inch," demanded Roddy, "would a
secret confided to you be liable to burst its boiler?"

"I've never," returned the engineer, "had an accident of that kind."

"Good!" exclaimed Roddy. "Then suppose I said to you, 'McKildrick, I
know where there's buried treasure, but I don't know how to get it
out.' You _would_ know. Now, if I led you to the buried treasure,
would you, as an expert engineer, tell me how to dig it out, and then
could you forget you'd given that advice and that you'd ever heard of
the treasure?"

For a moment McKildrick considered this hypothetical case. Then he
asked: "Which bank are you thinking of opening?"

Roddy rose abruptly.

"I'll show you," he exclaimed.

That Roddy was acting, in spite of secret misgivings, was so evident,
that McKildrick good-naturedly demurred.

"Better not tell me anything," he protested, "that you'll be sorry for
when you're sober."

Roddy shook his head, and, not until they had left the suburbs and the
last fisherman's hut behind them and were on the open coast, did he
again refer to the subject of their walk. Then he exclaimed suddenly;
"And I forgot to mention that if Father finds out you advised me you
will probably lose your job."

McKildrick halted in h