at made you buy it at all?"

Again he told the simple truth--and tried not to flinch.

"You won't mind if I say that the name attracted me? I thought a mine,
or anything, that bore your name, ought to be good and--and desirable.
And it is a good mine; or it will be, by and by. Some morning I shall
wake up and find myself rich. At least that is what my partner, Grigsby,
assures me; and I believe him when I happen to remember it."

She neither approved nor disapproved. When she spoke, it was of the
present necessity. "We must go back to the others now," she said. "Or
at least I must. Do you know what is to be done to-day?"

Ford spread his hands.

"Your uncle will set the pace. I wouldn't venture a guess, after last
night."

He was handing her down from the engine step and she went back in a word
to the former contention.

"You haven't promised me yet that you will not resign under fire--you
are under fire, you know."

"Am I?"

"Brother thinks you are."

Once more he took the pessimistic view.

"Your brother isn't losing any sleep over the Pacific Southwestern
situation. You said he was in England, didn't you?"

"I said he was in London when he wrote."

"London is a long way off: and what I do must be done to-day or
to-morrow. Mr. North will force the fighting, now that your uncle is on
the ground, and your brother safely on the opposite side of the earth.
And I can't afford to fight this time, Miss Alicia."

"Why can't you?"

They were walking slowly back toward the Nadia when he said: "Because a
victory would cost me more than I am willing to pay. There is no longer
room in this service for Mr. North and me. If we come to blows one of us
will have to go."

"I can understand that," she said quietly.

"And to obliterate Mr. North, I shall be obliged to efface--your uncle."

She caught her breath.

"Mr. Ford, you have intimated that Mr. North isn't an honest man. Do you
ask me to believe that Uncle Sidney is his accomplice?"

"He is not, knowingly. But he will stand or fall with the man he has
made. I should have to ride him down before I could get at North."

Her lip curled and the straight-browed little frown came again. "There
is no such thing as mercy in business, is there, Mr. Ford? My uncle is
an old man and his presidency means more to him--"

"I understand that perfectly," said Ford soberly. "That is why I prefer
to step down and out and let some other man have the glory of finishing
th