uggle which would tax every energy appealed to
Thurston. He felt also that here was an opportunity of proving his
devotion to Helen in the way he could do it best.

"I'm uncommonly thankful we didn't send for an accountant; the fewer
folks who handle those books the better," declared Thomas Savine. "I
was prepared for a surprise, Thurston, but never expected this. I
suppose things can be straightened out, but when I'd fixed up that
balance, it just took my breath away. More than half the assets are
unmarketable stock and ventures no man could value, while whether they
will ever realize anything goodness only knows. It's mighty certain
Julius doesn't know himself what he has been doing the last two years.
I can let my partners run our business down in Oregon and stay right
here for a time, counting on you to do the outside work, if what you
have seen hasn't clicked you off. You haven't signed the agreement
yet. How does the whole thing strike you?"

"As chaos that can and must be reduced to order," answered Geoffrey
with a reckless laugh. "I intend to sign the agreement, and,
foreseeing that you may have trouble about the money which I propose to
spend freely, I am adding all my private savings to the working
capital. It is, therefore, neck or nothing with me now, as I fear it
is with the rest of you, and, in my opinion, we should let everything
but the reclamation scheme go. It will either ruin us or pay us
five-fold if we can put it through."

"Just so!" and Savine nodded. "I leave that end to you, but I've got
to explain things to Helen, and I don't like the thought of it. My
niece has talents. As her future lies at stake, she has a right to
know, but it will be another shock to her. Poor Julius brought her up
in luxury, and I expect has been far too mixed of late to know that he
was tottering towards the verge of bankruptcy. A smart outside
accountant would have soon scented trouble, but I don't quite blame my
brother's cashier, who is a clerk and nothing more, for taking
everything at its book value."

That afternoon Helen sat with the two men in the library at High
Maples. A roll of papers was on the table before her. When Thomas
Savine had made the condition of things as plain as possible, she
leaned back in her chair with crossed hands for a time.

"I thank you for telling me so much, and I can grasp the main issues,"
she said at length. "If my opinion is of value I would say I agree
with