settle the business for you, so you can come
back without fear."

"You're a trump; but--don't think hard of me--money's never certain till
you have it in hand. I'll write and send my letter East by you; when the
matter's absolutely settled, you can telegraph _me_, and mail her my
letter. I'd expect to be shot if I made such a proposal to any other
rival, but you're not a man--you're a saint. Confound you, all the
sermons I ever heard hadn't as much real goodness in them as I've heard
the last ten minutes! But 'twould be awful for me to write and then have
the thing slip up!"

Brown admitted the justice of the major's plan, and took the major to
his own hotel to keep him from bad company.

During the whole evening the major talked about business: but when,
after a night of sound sleep, the student awoke, he found the major
pacing his room with a very pale face, and heard him declare that he had
not slept a wink.

Brown pitied the major in his nervous condition and did what he could to
alleviate it. He talked to him of Florence Elserly, of whom he seemed
never to tire of talking; he spoke to him of his own work and hopes. He
tried to picture to the major the happy future which was awaiting him
but still the major was unquiet and absent-minded. Brown called in a
physician, to whom he said his friend was suffering from severe mental
depression, brought on by causes now removed; but the doctor's
prescriptions failed to have any effect. Finally, when Brown was to
start for the East the major, paler and thinner than ever, handed him a
letter addressed to Miss Elserly.

"Brown," said the major, "I believe you won't lose any money by your
goodness. I _can_ make money when I am not reckless, and I'll make it my
duty to be careful until you are paid. The rest I _can't_ pay, but I'm
going to try to be as good a man as you are. That's the sort of
compensation that'll please such an unearthly fellow best, I guess."

When Hubert Brown reached Bleighton, he closed with the best offer that
had been made for his farm, though the offer itself was one which made
the natives declare that Hubert Brown had taken leave of his senses.
Then he settled with the loser of the bonds, saw one or two of the
major's business acquaintances, and prepared the way for the major's
return; then he telegraphed the major himself. Lastly, he dressed
himself with care and called upon Miss Elserly. Before sending up his
card, he penciled upon it "_avec no