opportunity
to make atonement, and that longing had been intensified since the
meeting at the mine, by the generous treatment he had received at
Duncan's hands. His Mary shared it in full measure, too, as she shared
every worthy impulse of his soul. It had been a grief to the gently
generous wife that the man she loved must live always under so
distressing an obligation to the friend who had so magnanimously
forgiven.

When this opportunity of repayment came to him, therefore, his first
thought was of Mary. He wrote to her immediately after his first
conference with Hallam, telling her of the matter in a way that filled
her soul with gladness and fear--gladness that the opportunity was his
at last, and sleepless fear lest he should be baffled and beaten. So
when at last success was his, when he received from Tandy's hands the
papers that secured his purpose, his first act was to telegraph to Mary
the message:

Glory to God in the highest! I have paid my debt to Guilford
Duncan.

It was fire minutes later when he entered the Hallam offices and laid
the papers before the head of the house, saying only:

"I've secured the stock." When he sank into the chair, Hallam was quick
to see his condition.

"Go up to Duncan's rooms and go to bed," he urged. "You've not been
sleeping."

Recovering himself quickly, Temple answered:

"No, I think I'd rather not. If you've no further use for me, I think
I'll go home by the train that starts an hour hence. There'll be time
enough between now and then for me to render you an account of money
spent, and give you my check for the balance in Tandy's bank. I don't
want to see Duncan just now."

Hallam understood. "Very well," he answered, as Temple turned to a desk.
"You've saved Duncan, and there's nothing more for you to do here. But
you must come back for the final grand tableau just a week hence. I'll
leave this stock in your name till then, and you shall walk with me into
the stockholders' meeting and help me salivate old Napper Tandy. We'll
teach him not to play tricks."

Captain Hallam spoke no word of commendation for the way in which Temple
had done his work. Words were unnecessary.

"I hope I made no mistake in subscribing for that barrel company
stock," said Temple as he passed the completed papers over to Hallam.
"At any rate, I'd like to keep that myself, if I may, whether it ever
proves to be worth anything or not. I've accumulated enough money to pay
fo