desk with a key which he carefully and
pompously selected from a pompous bunch, placed a plush-covered chair
for his visitor, and seated himself upon an old leather-stuffed chair
in front of the desk.

"Now, sir," said he, swinging around to Wallingford and puffing out
his cheeks, "I am ready to consider whatever you may have to say."

Mr. Wallingford's first action was one well-calculated to inspire
interest. First he drew out the desk slide at Mr. Bubble's left;
then from his inside vest pocket he produced a large flat package
of greenbacks, no bill being of less than a hundred dollars'
denomination. From this pile he carefully counted out eight thousand
dollars, and put the balance, which Mr. Bubble hastily estimated at
about fifteen hundred, back in his pocket. This procedure having been
conducted with vast and impressive silence, Mr. Wallingford cleared
his throat.

"I have come to ask a great favor of you," said he, sinking his
voice to barely above a whisper. "I am a stranger here. I find,
unfortunately, that there is no bank in Blakeville, and I have more
money with me than I care to carry about. I learned that you are the
only real man of affairs in the town, and have come to ask you if you
would kindly make room for this in your private safe for a day or so."

Mr. Bubble, rotating his thumbs slowly upon each other, considered
that money in profound silence. The possessor of so much loose cash
was a gentleman, a man to be respected.

"With pleasure," said Mr. Bubble. "I don't myself like to have so much
money about me, and I'd advise you, as soon as convenient, to take it
up to Millford, where I do my banking. In the meantime, I don't blame
you, Mr. Wallingford, for not wanting to carry this much money about
with you, nor for hesitating to put it in Jim Ranger's old tin safe."

"Thank you," said Wallingford. "I feel very much relieved."

Mr. Bubble drew paper and pen toward him.

"I'll write you a receipt," he offered.

"Not at all; not at all," protested Wallingford, having gaged Mr.
Bubble very accurately. "Between gentlemen such matters are entirely
superfluous. By the way, Mr. Bubble, I see you have a large swamp on
your land. Do you intend to let it lie useless for ever?"

"What else can I do with it?" demanded Mr. Bubble, wondering. That
swamp had always been there. Naturally, it would always be there.

"You can't do very much with it," admitted Wallingford. "However, it
is barely possible th