deal during
her walk homeward. She told her lodger of the talk with the Trust
Company official, and he thought a good deal, also.

His thoughts, however, dealt not with the possible rise in value of
the six hundred and fifty shares which, endorsed in blank, reposed,
presumably, somewhere in the vaults of Cabot, Bancroft and Cabot. He
thought not at all of anything like that. He had gotten rid of those
certificates and hoped never to hear of them again. But now, with all
this stir and talk, there was distinct danger that not only he but
others might hear of them. Galusha Bangs and Raish Pulcifer had, just
now, one trait in common, both detested the publicity given their
dealings in the securities of the Wellmouth Development Company.

But, in spite of this detestation, Horatio still seemed anxious to deal
in those securities. He visited the Phipps' home twice that week, both
times after dark and, as the watchful Primmie observed and commented
upon, each time coming not by the lane, but across the fields. And when
he left, at the termination of his second visit, the expression upon his
face was by no means one of triumph.

And Martha, of course, told her lodger what had transpired.

"I declare," she said, after her caller had gone, "I shall really begin
to believe somethin' IS up in that Development Company, just as the
Trust Company man said. Raish certainly wants to buy the two hundred and
fifty shares he thinks I've got. This is the third time he's been to see
me, sneakin' across lots in the dark so nobody else would see him,
and each time he raised his bid. He got up to eighteen dollars a
share to-night. And, I do believe, if I had given him the least bit of
encouragement, he would have gone higher still. What do you think of
that, Mr. Bangs?"

Galusha did not know what to think of it; he found it extremely
unpleasant to think of it at all.

"Have you--ah--have you told him you do not intend selling?" he asked.

"Why, no, I haven't. You see, if I do he'll think it's awfully queer,
because he knows how anxious I was, a while ago, TO sell. I just keep
puttin' him off. Pretty soon I suppose I shall HAVE to tell him I won't
sell no matter what he offers; but we'll try the puttin' off as long
as possible." She paused, and then added, with a mischievous twinkle,
"Really, Mr. Bangs, I am gettin' a good deal of fun out of it. A few
months ago I was the one to go to him and talk about that stock. Now he
comes to me and