my check was in there, the inspector might drop
in and see it, and cause a disturbance. When Gabe comes in, I'll make
him carry the matter over till next summer."

The transaction would cover only a few days, Barclay explained; and
finally he had his way. So the Larger Good was accomplished.

And later Adrian Brownwell came into the office to say:--

"Mr. Barclay, our friend, Colonel Culpepper, confessed to me after
some transparent attempts at subterfuge that my signing an
accommodation note would help you, and do I understand this also will
help our young friend, Robert Hendricks, whom I have never seen, and
enable him to remain at his post during the winter?"

John Barclay took a square hard look at Brownwell, and got a smile and
a faint little shrug in return, whereupon, for the Larger Good, he
replied "Yes," and for the Larger Good also, perhaps, Adrian Brownwell
answered:

"Well, I shall be delighted--just make my note for thirty days--only
thirty days, you understand; and then--well, of course if
circumstances justify it, I'll renew it." Barclay laughed and asked,
"Well, Mr. Brownwell, as between friends may I ask how 'circumstances'
are getting on?"

Brownwell shrugged his shoulders and smiled blandly as he answered:
"Just so-so; I go twice a week. And--" he waved his gloves airily and
continued, "What is it the immortal Burns says: 'A man's a man, for a'
that and a' that!' And I'm a man, John Barclay, and she's a woman. And
I go twice a week. You know women, sir, you know women--they're
mostly all alike. So I think--" he smirked complacently as he
concluded--"I think what I need is time--only time."

"Luck to you," said Barclay. "I'll just make the note thirty days, as
you say, and we can renew it from time to time."

Then Brownwell put on his hat, twirled his cane effusively, and bade
Barclay an elaborate adieu.

And ten days later, Molly Culpepper, loathing herself in her soul, and
praying for the day of deliverance when it should be all over, walked
slowly from the post-office up the hill to the house, the stately
house, with its impressive pillars, reading this: "My darling Girl:
John has sent me some more mortgages to sell, and they have to be sold
now. He says that father has to have the money, and he and father have
laid out work for me that will keep me here till the middle of
January. John says that the government inspector has been threatening
us with serious trouble in the bank lately, and