satisfaction.

"Consequently," Mrs. MacGregor continued, ignoring her brother's
interruption, "the Palm Wells company is in precisely the same position
now that it was when I left for the East."

"_I_ should say that it was considerably steadier on its legs than it
was. What's your opinion, Mr. Winston?"

"I should say so." Winston did not answer aggressively, his reply was
perfunctory.

Mrs. MacGregor ignored Winston.

"I don't know what you mean, Sidney."

"Me'n Ralph knows. It ain't necessary you should know."

Mrs. MacGregor's patience was sorely tried, as Uncle Sid fully intended
it should be, but she gave no visible signs of annoyance for two
excellent reasons. In the first place, a display of emotion smacked of
vulgarity; in the second place, she felt that all of her deep-laid
schemes depended upon her perfect self-control.

"We are getting nowhere, Sidney. Let us come to the point at once. Our
company is temporarily embarrassed and I feel that you are partially
responsible for my not raising the money that I had expected, so I am
coming to ask you to help us out. Not only is the success of the company
at stake but the honor of our family name as well."

She would have gone farther, but Uncle Sid blazed in. He was quite
unhampered by the fear of the vulgarity of displayed emotions.

"The honor of our name!" he exploded. "What Harwood in three hundred
years was ever false to a trust? What Harwood but stood still in his
tracks rather than even look at a crooked path? What Harwood ever used
the weakness of his neighbor for his own good?"

"Sidney!" Mrs. MacGregor's voice trembled.

"Keep still! I'm on deck now!" Uncle Sid bent before his sister and
shook his knotted fingers in her face. His eyes were blazing, his face
rugose with deep, hard lines.

"Do you know what you've done, Eunice? You saw 'Lige Berl stumblin'
betwixt right and wrong, an' for the sake of a few dirty dollars you
pushed him over! That's what you did. You knew what our old New England
name was worth to a man like 'Lige, and instead o' usin' it to pull him
out o' the mud, you used it to push him in deeper. You congered a dyin'
woman into trustin' her daughter's fortune to your hands, an' you've
betrayed the woman an' stole her daughter deaf, dumb an' blind. Now
you're in trouble, you're a comin' to me to keep the honor o' the
Harwood name. I wanted to keep the honor o' the Harwood name, so I
called on this young man to help me an' h