offer open at that figure for
forty-eight hours. I think you'll come to it."

"I doubt it," responded Johnny, smiling; but he was afraid he would.

In less than an hour he received an unexpected call from Mrs. Guff, who
was in such secret agitation that she quivered like jelly whenever she
breathed.

"Mr. Guff and myself have decided to take Miss Purry's river-view
property off your hands, Mr. Gamble," was the glad tidings she conveyed
to him, smiling to share his delight. "We can't think of letting that
river view slip by us."

"I'm glad to hear it," he announced with gratification, as he thought
of Mr. Chase. "Have you secured the consent of your partners in the
option to waive the apartment-house requirements?"

"Oh, no!" she ejaculated, shocked that any one should think that
possible. "We have decided to build the apartment-house and to live
there."

"To live there!" he repeated, remembering the elaborate Guff residence.

"Yes, indeed!" she enthusiastically exclaimed. "You know the property
slopes down to the river beautifully, and exquisite, private, terraced
gardens could be built there. We could take the entire lower floor of
the apartment building for ourselves, with a private driveway arched
right through it; and we could take the first three floors of the rear
part for our own use, with wonderful Venetian balconies overlooking the
terraces and the river. The remaining apartments would have entrances
on the two front corners, leaving us all the effect of a Venetian
palace. Don't you think that's clever?"

"It is clever!" he repeated with smiling emphasis, and mentally raising
Chase's ultimatum ten per cent.

"I suppose you'll want to charge us more for the property than you paid
for it," she suggested with a faint hope that maybe he might not, since
he had bought it so recently--and through them.

"That's what I'm in business for," he blandly acknowledged. "I can let
you have the property for two hundred and seventy-five thousand
dollars."

"How much did you say?" she gasped.

"Two hundred and seventy-five thousand."

"Why, it's an outrage!" she puffed. "You paid only two hundred and ten
thousand for it yesterday."

"I'm not telling you its cost to me yesterday, but its value to-day,"
he reminded her.

Mrs. Guff had helped her husband to his business success in the early
days--and she had driven bargains with supply men which had made them
glad when she was ill.

"You may keep the property