reakish, unconquerable laughter of it, that had defied and
antagonized Mr. Burr, were gone forever, burned away, somehow, in a
night. It was a look Mr. Burr was to grow well used to in the next few
months. Perhaps the unaccountable affection he was to feel for the boy
in the course of them was born then and there.

Neil emerged from the Judge's private office after a briefer talk than
usual, and the Judge did not escort him to the door in his accustomed,
friendly fashion. Mr. Burr did, and made him clumsy and unwonted
confidences there.

"The old man's not quite fit to-day," he said. "I ought to have told
you. It's a poor time to get anything out of him. Been shut up there by
himself doping out something. Won't say two words to me."

"Then he must be in a bad way, Theodore," said the boy, with the ghost
of his old, mocking smile, which Mr. Burr somehow did not find annoying
at all.

"Look here, Neil," he surprised himself by saying, "I like you. I always
did. You deserve a square deal. You're too good for the Brady gang.
You're too good for the town. If there was anything I could do for
you----"

"Maybe there is, Theodore," the boy turned in the corridor to say.
"Cheer up. You'll have a chance to see. I'm coming to work for the
Judge, I start in next week."

"But the Judge turned you down." Mr. Burr's brain struggled with the
problem, thinking out loud for the sake of greater clearness, but too
evidently not achieving it. "The Judge likes you, too, but he couldn't
take you in if he wanted to. He talked of it, but gave it up. He'd be
afraid to. Everard----"

"I start in next week," repeated Mr. Donovan.

"But what did you say to him?" demanded Mr. Burr. "What did he say to
you? How did you dare to ask him again?"

"I didn't ask him. Don't worry, Theodore. I haven't been trying any
black magic on the Judge. I don't know any. Maybe I'll learn some. I'm
going to learn a good deal. I've got to. Nobody knows how much. Even the
Judge don't know. I'm coming to work for the Judge, that's all, but I
didn't ask him." Mr. Burr, listening incredulously, did not know that
this was a faithful if condensed account of his talk with the Judge and
more, the key to much that was to happen to this pale and determined
young man, the secret of all his success. He gave it away openly, and
without pride:

"I just told him so."

Neil started in the next week. If Mr. Burr watched his young associate
somewhat jealously at first in t