se would do that?" asked Lodloe.

"Well," said Lanigan, "if the Lethbury people knew about it, and had a
chance, every man jack of them, and every woman jack, too, would
interfere, and under ordinary circumstances Calthea Rose would take the
lead; but just now I think she intends to lend me a hand--not for my
good, but for her own. If she does that, I am not afraid of all Lethbury
and the Petters besides. The only person I am afraid of is Mrs.
Cristie."

"Why do you fear her?" asked Lodloe.

"Well," said Lanigan, "when she was at the inn some years ago I was at
my wildest, and her husband did not like me. He was in bad health, very
touchy, and I suppose I gave him reason enough to consider me an
extremely black sheep. Of course Mrs. Cristie naturally thought pretty
much as he did, and from what you told me of the conference over my
advent, I suppose her opinions haven't changed much. She has treated me
very well since I have been here, but I have no doubt that she would
consider it her duty to let Miss Mayberry know just the sort of fellow
she thinks I am."

"Of course she would do that," said Lodloe; "and she ought to do it."

"No, sir," said Lanigan; "you are wrong, and I am going to prove it to
you, and you shall see that I trust you as if I had known you years
instead of days. I want you to understand that I am not the same sort of
fellow that I used to be, not by any means. I told old Petter that, so
that he might have a little practice in treating me with respect, but I
didn't give him any reasons for it, because Calthea Rose would be sure
to suspect that he knew something, and she'd worm it out of him; but I
don't believe she could worm anything out of you. When I left this
place some eighteen months ago I went down to Central America and bought
a banana farm, paying very little money down. In less than three months
I sold my land to a company, and made a very good thing out of it. Then,
thinking the company after a while might want more land, I bought
another large tract, and before the end of the year I sold that to them,
doubling my money. Then I left the tropics, fearing I might go too deep
into that sort of speculation and lose every cent I had. I traveled
around, and at last landed in Chicago, and here the money-making fever
seized me again. It is a new thing to me, and a lot more intoxicating, I
can tell you. I invested in oats, and before I knew it that blessed
grain went up until, if its stalks had