vacation, visiting my married daughter that lives here, and
I don't want to mix in if I can help it."

Corliss laughed, easily. "There's nothing for you to mix in. You
couldn't if you wanted to."

"Well, I hope that's true," said Pryor, with an air of indulgence,
curiously like that of a teacher for a pupil who promises
improvement. "I do indeed. There isn't anybody I'd like to see
turn straight more than you. You're educated and cultured, and
refined, and smarter than all hell. It would be a big thing.
That's one reason I'm taking the trouble to talk to you."

"I told you I wasn't doing anything," said Corliss with a
petulance as oddly like that of a pupil as the other's indulgence
was like that of a tutor. "This is my own town; I own property
here, and I came here to sell it. I can prove it in
half-a-minute's telephoning. Where do you come in?"

"Easy, easy," said Pryor, soothingly. "I've just told you I don't
want to come in at all."

"Then what do you want?"

"I came to tell you just one thing: to go easy up there at Mr.
Madison's house."

Corliss laughed contemptuously. "It's _my_ house. I own it. That's
the property I came here to sell."

"Oh, I know," responded Pryor. "That part of it's all right. But
I've seen you several times with that young lady, and you looked
pretty thick, to me. You know you haven't got any business doing
such things, Corliss. I know your record from Buda Pesth to
Copenhagen and----"

"See here, my friend," said the younger man, angrily, "you may be
a tiptop spotter for the government when it comes to running down
some poor old lady that's bought a string of pearls in the Rue de
la Paix----"

"I've been in the service twenty-eight years," remarked Pryor,
mildly.

"All right," said the other with a gesture of impatience; "and you
got me once, all right. Well, that's over, isn't it? Have I tried
anything since?"

"Not in that line," said Pryor.

"Well, what business have you with any other line?" demanded
Corliss angrily. "Who made you general supervisor of public
morals? I want to know----"

"Now, what's the use your getting excited? I'm just here to tell
you that I'm going to keep an eye on you. I don't know many people
here, and I haven't taken any particular pains to look you up. For
all I know, you're only here to sell your house, as you say. But I
know old man Madison a little, and I kind of took a fancy to him;
he's a mighty nice old man, and he's got a nice fam