he noticed that some of the younger men he met
smiled at him curiously, but attached no especial meaning to it. Alton
had taught himself to concentrate all his faculties upon his task, and
he worked in the city as he had done in the bush, with the singleness
of purpose and activity that left no opportunity of considering side
issues. He had also, as usual, a good deal to do: buyers of dressed
lumber, cattle, and ranching produce to interview; shippers of horses
to bargain with: railroad men and politicians to obtain promises of
concessions from, and men who had money to lend to interest. The
latter was the most difficult task, and now and then his face grew
momentarily grave as he remembered the burdens he had already laid upon
his ranch and the Somasco Consolidated.

"Still, what we're working for is bound to come, and we'll hold on
somehow until it does," he said to Forel, who occasionally remonstrated
with him. "When you've helped me to put the new loan through I'll
bring Charley or the other man down, and go up and relocate the claim.
After the late snowfall nobody could get through the ranges now, but
Tom and I could make our way when it wouldn't be possible to any of
Hallam's men."

Possibly because he had been successful hitherto, Alton was slightly
over-sanguine, and apt to make too small allowance in his calculations
for contingencies in which human foresight and tenacity of purpose may
not avail. It happened in the meanwhile, though he was, of course, not
aware of this, that Deringham had an interview with Hallam in the
smoking-room of the big C.P.R. hotel. They did not enter it together,
for Deringham was sitting there when Hallam came in, about the time the
Atlantic express was starting, which accounted for the fact that there
was nobody else present. Deringham appeared a trifle too much at his
ease, though his face was pale, for he had not departed from veracity
when he informed Forel that his heart had troubled him after listening
to Seaforth's story. He nodded to Hallam, and picked out a fresh cigar
from the box upon the table before he spoke.

"It is fine weather," he said.

"Oh, yes," said Hallam dryly. "Still, I guess you didn't ask me to
come here and talk about the climate."

"No," and Deringham glanced at his cigar. "I meant to tell you that
the little speculation you recently mentioned does not commend itself
to me. In fact, I have decided that we can have no more dealings of
any d