uld not be afraid to stay alone. He stood
guard over their rights, as far as he could ascertain them in the
spoliation that had to come. He locked the avenue gate against the
approach of those who came to the assignee's sale, and made them enter
and take away their purchases by the farm road; and in all lawful ways
he rendered himself obstructive and inconvenient.

His deference to the law was paid entirely through Putney, whose
smartness inspired Elbridge with a respect he felt for no other virtue
in man. Putney arranged with him to take the Northwick place and manage
it on shares for the Northwick girls; he got for him two of the old
horses which Elbridge wanted for his work, and one of the cheaper cows.
The rest of the stock was sold to gentleman farmers round about, who had
fancies for costly cattle: the horses, good, bad and indifferent, were
sent to a sale-stable in Boston. The greenhouses were stripped of all
that was valuable in them, and nothing was left upon the place, of its
former equipment, except the few farm implements, a cart or two, and an
ancient carryall that Putney bid off for Newton's use.

Then, when all was finished, he advertised the house to let for a term
of years, and failing a permanent tenant before the season opened, he
rented it to an adventurous landlady, who proposed to fill it with
summer boarders, and who engaged to pay a rental for it monthly, in
advance, that would enable the Northwick girls to live on, in the
porter's lodge, without fear of want. For the future, Putney imagined a
scheme for selling off some of the land next the villas of South
Hatboro', in lots to suit purchasers. That summer sojourn had languished
several years in uncertainty of its own fortunes; but now, by a caprice
of the fashion which is sending people more and more to the country for
the spring and fall months, it was looking up decidedly. Property had so
rapidly appreciated there, that Putney thought of asking so much a foot
for the Northwick lands, instead of offering it by the acre.

In proposing to become a land operator, in behalf of his clients, he had
to reconcile his practice with theories he had held concerning unearned
land-values; and he justified himself to his crony, Dr. Morrell, on the
ground that these might be justly taken from such rich and idle people
as wanted to spend the spring and fall at South Hatboro'. The more land
at a high price you could get into the hands of the class South Hatbor