ith Conward & Elden, but with me personally. I find it
necessary to dispose of the property which I have just sold to you at
such an exceptional price"--he was looking at Mrs. Hardy--"I find it
necessary for financial reasons to dispose of it, and naturally I
cannot run a chance of having my plans overturned by any possible
change of mind on your part. Not that I think you will change your
mind," he hurried to add. "I think you are already convinced that it
is a very good buy indeed."

"I am entirely satisfied," said Mrs. Hardy. "The fact that Mr. Elden
wants to get the property back makes me more satisfied," she added,
with the peculiarly irritating laugh of a woman who thinks she is
extraordinarily shrewd, and is only very silly.

"The agreement is signed?" said Dave. He walked to the desk and picked
up the documents, and the cheque that lay upon them. His eye ran down
the familiar contract. "This agreement is in the name of Conward &
Elden," he said. "This cheque is payable to Conward & Elden."

He was addressing Conward. Conward's livid face had become white, and
it was with difficulty he controlled his anger. "They are all printed
that way," he explained. "I am going to have them endorsed over to me."

"You are _not_," said Dave. "You are charging this woman twenty-five
thousand dollars for a house that won't bring twenty thousand on the
open market to-day, and by Fall won't bring ten thousand. The firm of
Conward & Elden will have nothing to do with that transaction. It
won't even endorse it over."

A fire was burning in the grate. Dave walked to it, and very slowly
and deliberately thrust the agreement and the cheque into the flame.
For a moment the printed letters stood out after the body of the paper
was consumed; then all fell to ashes.

"Well, if that doesn't beat all!" Mrs. Hardy ejaculated. "Are all cow
_punchers_ so discourteous?"

"I mean no discourtesy," said Dave. "And I hope you will let me say
now, what I should have said before, that it was with the deepest
regret I learned from your conversation of the death of Dr. Hardy. He
was a gentleman who commanded my respect, as he must have commanded the
respect of all who knew him. If my behaviour has seemed abrupt I
assure you I have only sought to serve Dr. Hardy's widow--and his
daughter."

"It is a peculiar service," Mrs. Hardy answered curtly. She felt she
had a grievance against Dave. He had not lived down to her concepti