the letter he had received from Mrs.
Hamilton.

Mrs. Hill took the letter suspiciously, and glared over it. As she
read, a spot of red glowed in each pallid check, and she bit her lips
in annoyance.

"I don't understand it," she said slowly.

Ben did not feel called upon to explain what was perfectly
intelligible. He saw that Mrs. Hill didn't want to understand it.

"What is it, ma?" asked Conrad, his curiosity aroused.

"You can read it for yourself, Conrad," returned his mother.

"Is he coming to live here?" ejaculated Conrad, astonished, indicating
Ben with a jerk of his finger.

"If this letter is genuine," said Mrs. Hill, with at significant
emphasis on the last word.

"If it is not, Mrs. Hamilton will be sure to tell you so," said Ben,
provoked.

"Come out, Conrad; I want to speak to you," said his mother.

Without ceremony, they left Ben in the parlor alone, and withdrew to
another part of the house, where they held a conference.

"What does it all mean, ma?" asked Conrad.

"It means that your prospects are threatened, my poor boy. Cousin
Hamilton, who is very eccentric, has taken a fancy to this boy, and
she is going to confer favors upon him at your expense. It is too
bad!"

"I'd like to break his head!" said Conrad, scowling.

"It won't do, Conrad, to fight him openly. We must do what we can in
an underhand way to undermine him with Cousin Hamilton. She ought to
make you her heir, as she has no children of her own."

"I don't think she likes me," said the boy. "She only gives me two
dollars a week allowance, and she scolded me the other day because she
met me in the hall smoking a cigarette."

"Be sure not to offend her, Conrad. A great deal depends on it. Two
dollars ought to answer for the present. When you are a young man, you
may be in very different circumstances."

"I don't know about that," grumbled Conrad. "I may get two dollars a
week then, but what's that?"

"You may be a wealthy man!" said his mother impressively. "Cousin
Hamilton is not so healthy as she looks. I have a suspicion that her
heart is affected. She might die suddenly."

"Do you really think so?" said Conrad eagerly.

"I think so. What you must try to do is to stand well with her, and
get her to make her will in your favor. I will attend to that, if you
will do as I tell you."

"She may make this boy her heir," said Conrad discontentedly. "Then
where would I be?"

"She won't do it, if I ca