er was perfect, the decorations were beautiful, the small group
of congenial people had seemed to enjoy themselves immensely, and best of
all, Ydo had brought him the wonderful news that his period of suspense
and waiting was practically over. By this time to-morrow night he would
know where he stood; and yet, reason about it as he would, the sense of
elation and buoyant hope was gone, and in its stead was some dull,
unhappy sense of foreboding, a premonition of impending disaster.

For him, at least, there had been some ghastly blight over the whole
affair. Why, why had Marcia appeared pale and distressed? And what was
far more puzzling, why had she begged him not to show the photographs of
the mine upon Penfield's request? Was it that she did not wish one of his
guests to know too much about the matter? If so, which one? And how did
she know anything about his connection with the mine, anyway?

He tossed and turned for hours trying to arrive at some half-way
plausible or satisfactory solution; but none occurred to him, and he
finally fell into troubled sleep.

CHAPTER XVI

As was natural after so restless a night, Hayden slept late the next
morning, but when he awoke it was with his usual sense of buoyant
optimism. The forebodings of the night had vanished, and the good, glad,
fat years stretched before him in an unclouded vista. To-day in all
probability marked the conclusion of his comparatively lean years. A half
an hour of conversation with those mysterious "owners," the disclosure of
his maps, photographs, ore samples, the report of the assayers, etc., and
then, the final arrangements. It might result in a trip to the property;
but a journey made, his high heart promised, with Marcia.

At the thought of her a slight cloud obscured the shining towers of his
Spanish castles. He recalled with a pang her pallor, her agitation of the
night before. Something had evidently lain heavily upon her mind; she had
been greatly distressed, even alarmed; but with the confidence of a lover
he saw himself a god of the machine, consoling, reassuring, dissipating
grief, and causing smiles to take the place of tears.

Upheld by these pleasant reflections, he breakfasted and then strolled
through the rooms. They had been put in perfect order. And with the
exception of the orchids, now sedately arranged in bowls and vases,
instead of fluttering from palm-trees and lattices, there was no trace of
the last night's festiviti