e Khedive's estates at Edfina. Agriculture by
steam power; his own railway lines to bring in the produce, and so
on. Yes, Klaus has ended up in a nice little place of his own. His
district's bigger than the kingdom of Denmark."

"Good heavens!" Langberg nearly fell off his chair. "And Ferdinand Holm;
what about him?"

"Oh, he's got bigger things on hand. Went nosing about the Libyan
desert, and found that considerable tracts of it have water-veins only a
few yards beneath the surface. If so, of course, it's only a question of
proper plant to turn an enormous area into a paradise for corn-growing."

"Good gracious! What a discovery!" gasped the other, almost breathless
now.

Peer looked out over the fjord, and went on: "Last year he managed at
last to get the Khedive interested, and they've started a joint-stock
company now, with a capital of some millions. Ferdinand is chief
engineer."

"And what's his salary? As much as fifty thousand crowns?"

"His pay is two hundred thousand francs a year," said Peer, not without
some fear that his companion might faint. "Yes, he's an able fellow, is
Ferdinand."

It took Langberg some time to get his breath again. At last he asked,
with a sidelong glance:

"And you and Klaus Brock--I suppose you've put your millions in his
company?"

Peer smiled as he sat looking out over the garden. Lifting his glass,
"Your good health," he said, for all answer.

"Have you been in America, too?" went on the other. "No, I suppose not!"

"America? Yes, a few years back, when I was with Brown Bros., they sent
me over one time to buy plant. Nothing so surprising in that, is there?"

"No, no, of course not. I was only thinking--you went about there,
I daresay, and saw all the wonderful things--the miracles of science
they're always producing."

"My dear fellow, if you only knew how deadly sick I am of miracles
of science! What I'm longing for is a country watermill that takes
twenty-four hours to grind a sack of corn."

"What? What do you say?" Langberg bounced in his chair. "Ha-ha-ha!
You're the same old man, I can see."

"I'm perfectly serious," said Peer, lifting his glass towards the other.
"Come. Here's to our old days together!"

"Aye--thanks, a thousand thanks--to our old days together!--Ah,
delicious! Well, then, I suppose you've fallen in love away down there
in the land of the barbarians? Haven't you? Ha-ha-ha!"

"Do you call Egypt a land of barbarians?"

"Well, don't th