ted and
interested crowd who were watching the progress of the flames.

'Watching! Not one of them raising a hand to stop it!' muttered Mr
Howroyd between his teeth.

Mrs Clay clasped her hands in despair.

The millionaire bounded from the car and was among them before any one
saw him. 'You cowardly curs, that'll take my money and burn my property!
Off my land, I say! I'll pay you for this! You shall all be in prison
before the week's out! I see you all, and know you too well, curse you!'

'We haven't done aught to your property. You can't say we have. We saw
the flames in Ousebank oop o' top o' t' hill, and we ran to see. There's
no harm in that, and you can't have the law on us for't,' said a big,
burly man.

'You're trespassing on my land, every one of you, and I'll prosecute you
for that, if I can't for aught else. There's plenty of boards to warn
you,' said Mr Clay.

The crowd melted away as if by magic, and they saw the gardeners trying
feebly to check the progress of the flames.

Their master stood and watched them in grim silence for a little time.
His presence and the disappearance of the crowd seemed to give them
increased vigour, for they worked with a will now, and crash came down a
tree which had just caught and would have carried on the flames to
another plantation.

'That's right; rather late in the day. If you'd done that earlier it
might ha' been better. And where's the rest of you? There's twenty men in
the grounds somewhere, let alone the house; you could have had thirty at
this, and worsted those scoundrels if you'd chosen; but you didn't, and
I'll not forget it--I'll not forget it!'

'The others are guarding t' house, master' said the head-gardener. 'Sykes
wouldn't let a man leave; he's there--armed, and swore he'd shoot the
first hand that came nigh the house, let his business be what it might.'

A grim smile relaxed the millionaire's features for a moment as he heard
this news; but they grew grim again as he asked bitterly, 'And weren't
the garage and stable men enough to guard the house without the rest of
you, whose business is to keep my ground in order?'

The man turned back to his work of chopping off smouldering branches, as
he said in a surly tone, 'I'm here, sir, doing my best, and so's these
lads, seven on 'em, and it's no use blaming them that has tried to help
when your property is being destroyed for the fault of them that hasn't
had the courage to do it.'

'Courage to d