uite excited, and seemed to enjoy every word he heard; his
eyes shone, his thoughts were occupied with the future, in which he
imagined himself a rich man, the owner of untold wealth. He might even
buy a baronetcy! Baron Gaspar Gregorics! How well it sounded! And Minka
would be a little baroness. That fool of a Pal had not known how to make
proper use of his wealth, so it must have increased immensely, he had
been so economical!

"And what did my brother pay you for your work?"

"He gave us each fifty florins."

"That was quite right of him."

A weight had fallen from his heart at these words, for he had begun to
fear Gregorics had given them some thousands to buy their silence, and
that would have been a great pity, as it would have diminished the sum
he hoped to possess before long. For he had decided to buy "Lebanon,"
with its caldron and its orchard. He would go to-morrow to that boy's
guardian and make an offer for it. And he rejoiced inwardly at the trick
he was playing his brother and sister.

He returned home as fast as horses could take him, and did not even stop
at his own house, but went straight on to Sztolarik's and informed him
he would like to buy "Lebanon."

This was the name they had given to the orchard and house old Gregorics
had bought of the clergyman's widow. He had tried to grow cedars there
at first, but the soil of Besztercebanya was not suitable for these
trees, and the sarcastic inhabitants of the small town christened the
orchard "Lebanon."

Mr. Sztolarik showed no surprise at the offer.

"So you want to buy 'Lebanon'?" he said. "It is a good orchard, and
produces the finest fruit imaginable. This year a well-known
hotel-keeper bought all the fruit, and paid an enormous price for it.
But what made you think of buying 'Lebanon'?"

"I should like to build a house there, a larger house than the present
one."

"H'm! There is always a good deal of bother attached to a purchase of
that kind," said Sztolarik coldly; "the present owner is a minor, and
the Court of Chancery must give permission for the sale to take place. I
would rather leave things as they are. When the boy is of age he may do
what he likes, but if I sell it now he may be sorry for it later on. No,
no, Mr. Gregorics, I can't agree to it. After all the house and orchard
are a _pretium affectionis_ for the boy; he spent his childhood there."

"But if I offer a good sum for it," broke in Gaspar, nervously.

Sztolarik bega