r, yes. But you'll notice that I've covered it so that
unless Henry or Miss Starkweather says something, nobody's going to
know until the year's out, and I make the accounting. Now for the
trust agreement itself--if Henry demonstrates to me that within a
year--"

"A year from August first. The lease don't expire 'till then, and
Henry won't be home 'till then. August to August's what I'm goin' to
put up to him."

"Correct. If he demonstrates to me that within the calendar year he's
made a net profit of ten thousand dollars from the property--by the
way, isn't that rather steep?"

"No. Man's in there now's made three thousand and manhandled it. Just
horse-sense and some alterations and advertising'll bring it up to
ten."

"You're the doctor. If Henry makes ten out of it, then he receives
from me, as trustee, the whole residuary estate, otherwise it goes to
your sister. And during that trial year, she gets the whole income
from it, anyway."

Mr. Mix was sitting motionless as a cat.

"That's right."

"Well, then, if you'll just read these over and make sure I've got
your meaning, and then get a couple of witnesses in here, we can
clear the whole thing up and have it out of the way."

Mr. Mix heard the scrape of chair-legs against the floor, and hastily,
on tiptoe, he crossed the room to his original seat, and in passing
the centre table he helped himself to a magazine which he was reading
with much concentration when the door of the private office opened.

"Why, hello, Mix," said Mr. Starkweather. "Been waitin' long? Be with
you in half a second."

"Just got here," said Mr. Mix, as though startled. He returned the
magazine to the table, and was still standing when his friend came
back, in convoy of young Mr. Robert Standish, his chief assistant.

"Come on in, Mix. Want you to witness a will."

"Anything to oblige," said Mr. Mix, with alacrity.

He spoke cordially to young Mr. Standish and in another moment, to the
lawyer. With due solemnity he carried out the function which was
assigned to him; he would have loved a peep at the body of the
documents, but already he was possessed of some very interesting
information, and he kept his eyes religiously in the boat. Mr. Mix
believed that in business and society, as well as in war, advance
information is the basis of victory; and even while he was blotting
his second signature, he was wondering how to capitalize what he had
overheard. No inspiration came to him;