eral times been abrupt and unreasonable about small matters in
the office. Certain incidents that had appeared trivial at the time of
their occurrence stood forth disquietingly now. If Bassett had ceased
to trust him, there must be a cause for the change; slight
manifestations of impatience in a man so habitually calm and rational
might be overlooked, but Dan had not been prepared for this abrupt
cessation of confidential relations. He was a bit piqued, the more so
that this astounding editorial indicated a range and depth of purpose in
Bassett's plans that Dan's imagination had not fathomed. He tore out the
editorial and put it away carefully in his pocketbook as Montgomery was
called.

A messenger was at the station to guide him to the court-house, where he
found Mrs. Owen and Sylvia waiting for him in the private room of the
judge of the circuit court. Mrs. Owen had, in her thorough fashion,
arranged all the preliminaries. She had found in Akins, the president of
the Montgomery National Bank, an old friend, and it was her way to use
her friends when she needed them. At her instance, Akins and another
resident freeholder had already signed the bond when Dan arrived. Dan
was amused by the direct manner in which Mrs. Owen addressed the court;
the terminology pertaining to the administration of estates was at her
fingers' ends, and there was no doubt that the judge was impressed by
her.

"We won't need any lawyer over here, Daniel; you can save the estate
lawyer's fees by acting yourself. I guess that will be all right,
Judge?"

His Honor said it would be; people usually yielded readily to Mrs.
Owen's suggestions.

"You can go up to the house now, Sylvia, and I'll be along pretty soon.
I want to make a memorandum for an inventory with Daniel."

At the bank Akins gave them the directors' room, and Andrew Kelton's
papers were produced from his box in the safety vault. Akins explained
that Kelton had been obliged to drop life insurance policies for a
considerable amount; only one policy for two thousand dollars had been
carried through. There were a number of contracts with publishers
covering the copyrights in Kelton's mathematical and astronomical
textbooks. The royalties on these had been diminishing steadily, the
banker said, and they could hardly be regarded as an asset.

"Life insurance two thousand, contracts nothing, and the house is worth
two with good luck. Take it all in--and I reckon this _is_ all--we'll