and
there was a little promise I made your uncle. For another thing"--and
he waved his hand--"I'm going to take a reasonable profit out of
you."

Nasmyth made no further objections, and they set out for Victoria that
afternoon. Hames was, however, not readily traced; and when, on the
following morning, they sat in Acton's office waiting his appearance,
Nasmyth was conscious of a painful uncertainty. Acton, with a smile on
his face, leaned back in his chair until Hames was shown in. Hames was
a big, bronze-faced man, plainly dressed in city clothes, but there
was, Nasmyth noticed, a trace of half-furtive uneasiness in his eyes.
Acton looked up at him quietly, and let him stand for several moments.
Then he waved his hand toward a chair.

"Won't you sit down? We have got to have a talk," said Acton. "I'll
come right to the point. You have have been buying land."

Hames sat down. "I can't quite figure how that concerns you," he
replied. "I'm not going to worry about it, any way."

"I want that land--the block you bought from Waynefleet."

"It's not for sale," asserted Hames. "If you have nothing else to put
before me, I'll get on. I'm busy this morning."

Acton leaned forward in his chair. "When I'm in the city, I'm usually
busy, too," he said; "in fact, I've just three or four minutes to
spare for you, and I expect to get through in that time. To begin
with, you sent Mr. Hutton a note from your hotel when my clerk came
for you. He never got it. You can have it back unopened. I can guess
what's in the thing." He handed Hames an envelope. "Now," he went on,
"you can make a fuss about it, but I guess it wouldn't be wise. Hutton
doesn't know quite as much about you as I do. I've had a finger in
most of what has been done in this Province the last few years, and
it's not often I forget a man. Well, I guess I could mention one or
two little affairs that were not altogether creditable which you had a
share in."

Hames laughed. "It's quite likely."

"Still, what you don't know is that I'm on the inside track of what
was done when the Hobson folks jumped the Black Crag claim. There was
considerable trouble over the matter."

Nasmyth saw Hames start, but he apparently braced himself with an
effort.

"Any way," replied Hames, "that was 'most four years ago, and there's
not a man who had a hand in it in this Province now."

Acton shook his head. "There's one. I can put my hand on your partner
Okanagon Jim just when I w