s thousands lying at your back door if ye'll only reach to pick
them up. Yes, thousands. Thousands, I'm telling ye--thousands!"

Wilson saw himself provost and plutocrat. Yet was he cautious.

"_You_'ll do well by the scheme," he said tartly, "if you get the sole
contract for building these premises of mine, and a fat commission on
the carrying forbye."

"Can you carry the scheme without me?" said Gibson. "A word from me to
Goudie means a heap." There was a veiled threat in the remark.

"Oh, we'll come to terms," said the other. "But how will you manage
Gourlay?"

"Aha!" said Gibson, "I'll come in handy for that, you'll discover.
There's been a backset in Barbie for the last year--things went owre
quick at the start and were followed by a wee lull; but it's only for a
time, sir--it's only for a time. Hows'ever, it and you thegither have
damaged Gourlay: he's both short o' work and scarce o' cash, as I found
to my cost when I asked him for my siller! So when I offer him a big
contract for carting stones atween the quarry and the town foot, he'll
swallow it without question. I'll insert a clause that he must deliver
the stuff at such places as I direct within four hundred yards of the
Cross, in ainy direction--for I've several jobs near the Cross, doan't
ye see, and how's he to know that yours is one o' them? Man, it's easy
to bamboozle an ass like Gourlay! Besides, he'll think my principals
have trusted me to let the carrying to ainy one I like, and, as I let it
to him, he'll fancy I'm on his side, doan't ye see? He'll never jalouse
that I mean to diddle him. In the meantime we'll spread the news that
you're meaning to build on a big scale upon your own land; we'll have
the ground levelled, the foundations dug, and the drains and everything
seen to. Now, it'll never occur to Gourlay, in the present slackness o'
trade, that you would contract wi' another man to cart your material,
and go hunting for other work yoursell. That'll throw him off the scent
till the time comes to put his nose on't. When the Company advertise for
estimates he canna compete wi' you, because he's pre-engaged to me; and
he'll think you're out o't too, because you're busy wi' your own woark.
You'll be free to nip the eight shillings. Then we'll force him to
fulfill his bargain and cart for us at six."

"If he refuses?" said Wilson.

"I'll have the contract stamped and signed in the presence of
witnesses," said Gibson. "Not that that's necessa