She was still thinking of it
when he came down to breakfast, heavy-eyed, tremulous, with deep seams
and wrinkles in his face.

After a silence which he did not seem inclined to break, "Silas," she
asked, "who is 'Mrs. M.'?"

He stared at her. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't you?" she returned mockingly. "When you do, you tell me. Do
you want any more coffee?"

"No."

"Well, then, you can ring for Alice when you've finished. I've got
some things to attend to." She rose abruptly, and left the room.
Lapham looked after her in a dull way, and then went on with his
breakfast. While he still sat at his coffee, she flung into the room
again, and dashed some papers down beside his plate. "Here are some
more things of yours, and I'll thank you to lock them up in your desk
and not litter my room with them, if you please." Now he saw that she
was angry, and it must be with him. It enraged him that in such a time
of trouble she should fly out at him in that way. He left the house
without trying to speak to her. That day Corey came just before
closing, and, knocking at Lapham's door, asked if he could speak with
him a few moments.

"Yes," said Lapham, wheeling round in his swivel-chair and kicking
another towards Corey. "Sit down. I want to talk to you. I'd ought
to tell you you're wasting your time here. I spoke the other day about
your placin' yourself better, and I can help you to do it, yet. There
ain't going to be the out-come for the paint in the foreign markets
that we expected, and I guess you better give it up."

"I don't wish to give it up," said the young fellow, setting his lips.
"I've as much faith in it as ever; and I want to propose now what I
hinted at in the first place. I want to put some money into the
business."

"Some money!" Lapham leaned towards him, and frowned as if he had not
quite understood, while he clutched the arms of his chair.

"I've got about thirty thousand dollars that I could put in, and if you
don't want to consider me a partner--I remember that you objected to a
partner--you can let me regard it as an investment. But I think I see
the way to doing something at once in Mexico, and I should like to feel
that I had something more than a drummer's interest in the venture."

The men sat looking into each other's eyes. Then Lapham leaned back in
his chair, and rubbed his hand hard and slowly over his face. His
features were still twisted with some str