ying his valise. His face
wore that air of gravity which sometimes follows an early morning hour
of earnest reflection, and he had substituted a black cravat for the
blue one with white spots that he had worn on his arrival.

Walking out towards the barn he met Mr. Petter, who was one of the
earliest risers on the place.

The greeting given him by the landlord of the Squirrel Inn was a mixture
of surprise, cordiality, and annoyance.

"Lanigan Beam!" he exclaimed. "Why, I thought--"

"Of course you did; I understand," said the other, extending his hand
with a dignified superiority to momentary excitement in others. "You
thought I would arrive at Lethbury in a day or two, and had no idea of
seeing me here. You have reason, but I have changed my plans. I left New
York earlier than I intended, and I am not going to Lethbury at all. At
least not to the hotel there. I greatly prefer this house."

A shade of decided trouble came over Mr. Petter's face.

"Now, Lanigan," he said, "that will not do at all; of course I don't
want to be hard on you, and I never was, but my season is commenced, I
have my guests, my rules are in full force, and I cannot permit you to
come here and disarrange my arrangements. If for once, Lanigan, you will
take the trouble to think, you will see that for yourself."

"Mr. Petter," said the younger man, setting his valise upon the ground,
"I have no desire to disarrange them; on the contrary, I would stamp
them with fixity. And before we go any further I beg that you be kind
enough not to call me by my Christian name, and to endeavor to produce
in yourself the conviction that since you last saw me I have been
entirely rearranged and reconstructed. In order to do this, you have
only to think of me as you used to think, and then exactly reverse your
opinion. In this way you will get a true view of my present character.
It does not suit me to do things partially, or by degrees, and I am now
exactly the opposite of what I used to be. By keeping this in mind any
one who knew me before may consider himself or herself perfectly
acquainted with me now."

Stephen Petter looked at him doubtfully.

"Of course," he said, "I shall be very glad--and so will Mrs. Petter--to
find that you have reformed, but as to your coming here--"

"Now, then," said Mr. Beam, "I know you are not the man to allow
trifles to stand in the way of important movements. I am here for a
purpose, a great purpose, with which you wil