stood
together in the little sitting room. Then Cousin Gussie once more laid a
hand on his relative's arm.

"Well, Galusha," he said, again, "what about it?"

Galusha heaved another sigh. "Yes--ah--yes," he answered.
"Yes--ah--quite so."

"Humph! What is quite so? I want to know about that stock of the
Wellmouth Development Company."

"Yes.... Yes, certainly, I know."

"That Captain--um--What's-his-name, the picturesque old lunatic with the
whiskers--Hallett, I mean--made a statement that was, to say the least,
surprising. I presume he was crazy. That was the most weird collection
of insanity that I ever saw or heard. Ha, ha! Oh, dear!... Well, never
mind. But what did old Hallett mean by saying he had sold YOU his four
hundred shares of that stock?"

Galusha closed his eyes. He smiled sadly.

"He meant that he had--ah--sold them to me," he answered.

"LOOSH!"

"Yes."

"Loosh, are you crazy, too?"

"Very likely. I often think I may be. Yes, I bought the--ah--stock."

"You bought the--YOU? Loosh, sit down."

Mr. Bangs shook his head. "No, Cousin Gussie," he said. "If you don't
mind I--I won't sit down. I shall go to my room soon. I bought Captain
Hallett's stock. I bought Miss Phipps', too."

It was Cabot himself who sat down. He stared, slowly shook his head, and
then uttered a fervent, "Whew!"

Galusha nodded. "Yes," he observed. "Ah--yes."

"Loosh, do you know what you are saying? Do you mean that you actually
bought Hallett's four hundred shares and this woman's--?"

"Miss Phipps is her name. Miss Martha Phipps."

"Yes, yes, of course. And you bought... Eh? By Jove! Is THAT what you
did with that thirteen thousand dollars?"

Again Galusha nodded. "Yes," he said.

Cousin Gussie whistled again. "But why did you do it, Loosh?" he asked,
after a moment. "For heaven's sake, WHY?"

Galusha did not answer immediately. Then he said, slowly: "If--if you
don't mind, Cousin Gussie, I think I should tell HER that first. That
is, I mean she should--ah--be here when I do tell it.... I--I think I
will change my mind and sit down and wait until she comes.... Perhaps.
you will wait, too--if you don't mind.... And, please--please don't
think me rude if I do not--ah--talk. I do not feel--ah--conversational.
Dear me, no."

He sat down. Cabot stared at him, crossed his knees, and continued to
stare. Occasionally he shook his head, as if the riddle were proving
too much for him. Galusha did not move. Neither