e man's
pleasure in doing the thing, there was still some of the boy's delight
in showing he could do it. What had passed yesterday, particularly that
idea of doing things for him which he had detected and raged at, made it
additionally pleasant that he should be seen to be capable of doing
things for himself. All this was vague, but it was in his mind as he
walked to Sloyd's offices.

Grave and critical! Sloyd's nervous excitement and uneasy deference
toward Iver were the only indications of any such thing. Duplay was
there in the background, cool and easy. Iver himself was inclined to
gossip with Harry and to chaff him on the fresh departure he had made,
rather than to settle down to a discussion of Blinkhampton. That was
after all a small matter--so his manner seemed to assert; he had been in
town anyhow, so he dropped in; Duplay had made a point of it in his
scrupulous modesty as to his own experience. Harry found that he could
resist the impression he was meant to receive only by saying to himself
as he faced his old friend and present antagonist: "But you're
here--you're here--you're here!" Iver could neither gossip nor argue
that fact away.

"Well now," said Iver with a glance at his watch, "we must really get to
business. You don't want to live in Blinkhampton, you gentlemen, I
suppose? You want to leave a little better for your visit, eh? Quite so.
That's the proper thing with the sea-side. But you can't expect to find
fortunes growing on the beach. Surely Major Duplay mistook your
figures?"

"Unless he mentioned fifty thousand, he did," said Harry firmly.

"H'm, I did you injustice, Major--with some excuse, though. Surely, Mr
Sloyd----?" He turned away from Harry as he spoke.

"I beg pardon," interrupted Harry. "Am I to talk to Major Duplay?"

Iver looked at him curiously. "Well, I'd rather talk to you, Harry," he
said. "And I'll tell you plainly what I think. Mr Sloyd's a young
business man--so are you."

"I'm a baby," Harry agreed.

"And blackmailing big people isn't a good way to start." He watched
Harry, but he did not forget to watch Sloyd too. "Of course I use the
word in a figurative sense. The estate's not worth half that money to
you; we happen to want it--Oh, I'm always open!--So----" He gave a
shrug.

"Sorry to introduce new and immoral methods into business, Mr Iver. It
must be painful to you after all these years." Harry laughed
good-humoredly. "I shall corrupt the Major too!" he added