f its owner is to
have a good time and possess his soul in peace."

Ferdinand Holm and Brock exchanged glances. But next moment Peer led
them through into a side-room, with tools and machinery evidently having
no connection with the rest.

"Now look out," said Klaus. "This is the holy of holies, you'll see.
He's hard at it working out some new devilry here, or I'm a Dutchman."

Peer drew aside a couple of tarpaulins, and showed them a mowing machine
of the ordinary type, and beside it another, the model of a new type he
had himself devised.

"It's not quite finished yet," he said. "But I've solved the main
problem. The old single knife-blade principle was clumsy; dragged, you
know. But with two blades--a pair of shears, so to speak--it'll work
much quicker." And he gave them a little lecture, showing how much
simpler his mechanism was, and how much lighter the machine would be.

"And there you are," said Klaus. "It's Columbus's egg over again."

"The patent ought to be worth a million," said Ferdinand Holm, slowly,
looking out of the window.

"Of course the main thing is, to make the work easier and cheaper for
the farmers," said Peer, with a rather sly glance at Ferdinand.

Dinner that evening was a festive meal. When the liqueur brandy went
round, Klaus greeted it with enthusiasm. "Why, here's an old friend, as
I live! Real Lysholmer!--well, well; and so you're still in the land of
the living? You remember the days when we were boys together?" He lifted
the little glass and watched the light play in the pale spirit. And the
three old friends drank together, singing "The first full glass," and
then "The second little nip," with the proper ceremonial observances,
just as they had done in the old days, at their student wine-parties.

The talk went merrily, one good story calling up another. But Merle
could not help noticing the steely gleam of Ferdinand Holm's eyes, even
when he laughed.

The talk fell on new doings in Egypt, and as Peer heard more and more of
these, it seemed to her that his look changed. His glance, too, seemed
to have that glint of steel, there was something strange and absent in
his face; was he feeling, perhaps, that wife and children were but
a drag on a man, after all? He seemed like an old war-horse waking
suddenly at the sound of trumpets.

"There's a nice little job waiting for you, by the way," said Ferdinand
Holm, lifting his glass to Peer.

"Very kind of you, I'm sure. A sub-di