ong we'd almost be afraid to take
them off. They're dried on sir!--grown in! Why, sir, we've paid more
interest than the mortgages foot up, sir!"

"What were they made for? improvements?"

"Impr--O yes, sir; most of 'em were given to improve the interior of our
smoke-house--sort o' decorate it with meat."

"Ah, you wasted your substance in riotous living!"

"No, sir, we were simply empty in the same old anatomical vicinity and
had to fill it. The mortgages wa'n't all made for that; two or three
were made to raise money to pay the interest on old ones--interest and
taxes. Mr. Fair, if ever a saint on earth lived up to his belief my
father did. He believed in citizenship confined to taxpayers, and he'd
pay his taxes owing for the pegs in his shoes--he made his own shoes,
sir."

"Who hold these mortgages?"

"On paper, Major Garnet, but really Jeff-Jack Ravenal. That's private,
sir."

"Yes, very properly, I see."

"Do you? Wha' do you see? Wish I could see something. Seems like I
can't."

"O, I only see as you do, no doubt, that any successful scheme to
improve your lands will have to be in part a public scheme, and be
backed by Mr. Ravenel's newspaper, and he can do that better if he's
privately interested and supposed not to be so, can't he?"

March stared, and then mused. "Well, I'll be--doggoned!"

"Of course, Mr. March, that needn't be unfair to you. Is it to
accommodate you, or him, that Major Garnet lends his name?"

"O me!--At least--O! they're always accommodating each other."

"My father told me of these lands before I came here. He thinks that the
fortunes of Suez, and consequently of Rosemont, in degree, not to
speak"--the speaker smiled--"of individual fates, _is_ locked up in
them."

"I know! I know! The fact grows on me, sir, every day and hour! But,
sir, the lands are my lawful inheritance, and although I admit that the
public----"

"You quite misunderstand me! Miss Garnet said--in play, I know--that the
key of this lock isn't far off, or words to that effect. Was she not
right? And doesn't Mr. Ravenel hold it? In fact--pardon my freedom--is
it not best that he should?"

"Good heavens, sir! why, Miss Garnet didn't mean--you say, does
Jeff-Jack hold that key? He was holding it the last time I saw him! O
yes. Even according to your meaning he thinks he holds it, and he thinks
he ought to. I don't think he ought to, and incline to believe he won't!
_Lift_ your miserable head!" he cried to