ed me a little of dear Uncle Sam when he listened to what, in his
opinion, was only female reason; "but, dear me, here is Major Hockin
come! Punctuality is the soul of business."

"So I always declare," cried the Major, who was more than three-quarters
of an hour late, for which in my heart I thanked him. "My watch keeps
time to a minute, Sir, and its master to a second. Well, I hope you
have settled all questions of finance, and endowed my young maid with a
fortune."

"So far from that," Mr. Shovelin replied, in a tone very different from
that he used to me, "we have not even said one word of business; all
that has been left for your return. Am I to understand that you are by
appointment or relationship the guardian of this young lady?"

"God forbid!" cried Major Hockin, shortly. I thought it very rude of
him, yet I could not help smiling to see how he threw his glasses up and
lifted his wiry crest of hair. "Not that she is bad, I mean, but good,
very good; indeed, I may say the very best girl ever known outside of my
own family. My cousin, Colonel Gundry, who owns an immense estate in
the most auriferous district of all California, but will not spoil his
splendid property by mining, he will--he will tell you the very same
thing, Sir."

"I am very glad to hear it," said the banker, smiling at me, while I
wondered what it was, but hoped that it meant my praises. "Now I really
fear that I must be very brief, though the daughter of my oldest friend
may well be preferred to business. But now we will turn at once to
business, if you please."

CHAPTER XXVII

COUSIN MONTAGUE

Mr. Shovelin went to a corner of the room, which might be called his
signal-box, having a little row of port-holes like a toy frigate or
accordion, and there he made sounds which brought steps very promptly,
one clerk carrying a mighty ledger, and the other a small strong-box.

"No plate," Major Hockin whispered to me, shaking his gray crest with
sorrow; "but there may be diamonds, you know, Erema. One ounce of
diamonds is worth a ton of plate."

"No," said Mr. Shovelin, whose ears were very keen, "I fear that
you will find nothing of mercantile value. Thank you, Mr. Robinson;
by-and-by perhaps we shall trouble you. Strictly speaking, perhaps I
should require the presence of your father's lawyer, or of some one
producing probate, ere I open this box, Miss Castlewood. But having you
here, and Major Hockin, and knowing what I do about the