He grinned, and I smiled ruefully, knowing that we

must soon part again, for Larry was one of the few

men I had ever called friend, and this meeting had only

quickened my old affection for him.

"I suppose," he continued, "you accept as gospel

truth what that fellow tells you about the estate. I

should be a little wary if I were you. Now, I've been

kicking around here for a couple of weeks, dodging the

detectives, and incidentally reading the newspapers.

Perhaps you don't understand that this estate of John

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Marshall Glenarm has been talked about a good bit."

"I didn't know it," I admitted lamely. Larry had

always been able to instruct me about most matters; it

was wholly possible that he could speak wisely about my

inheritance.

"You couldn't know, when you were coming from

the Mediterranean on a steamer. But the house out

there and the mysterious disappearance of the property

have been duly discussed. You're evidently an object

of some public interest,"-and he drew from his pocket

a newspaper cutting. "Here's a sample item." He read: "John Glenarm, the grandson of John Marshall Glenarm,

the eccentric millionaire who died suddenly in Vermont

last summer, arrived on the Maxinkuckee from Naples

yesterday. Under the terms of his grandfather's

will, Glenarm is required to reside for a year at a curious

house established by John Marshall Glenarm near Lake

Annandale, Indiana.

This provision was made, according to friends of the

family, to test young Glenarm's staying qualities, as he

has, since his graduation from the Massachusetts Institute

of Technology five years ago, distributed a considerable

fortune left him by his father in contemplating the

wonders of the old world. It is reported-"

"That will do! Signs and wonders I have certainly

beheld, and if I spent the money I submit that I got

my money back."

I paid my bill and took a hansom for the ferry,-

Larry with me, chaffing away drolly with his old zest.

He crossed with me, and as the boat drew out into the

river a silence fell upon us,-the silence that is possible

only between old friends. As I looked back at the lights

of the city, something beyond the sorrow at parting

from a comrade touched me. A sense of foreboding, of

coming danger, crept into my heart. But I was going

upon the tamest possible excursion; for the first time

in my life I was submitting to the direction of another,

-albeit one who lay in the grave. How like my grandfather

it was, to die leaving this compulsion upon me!

My mood changed suddenly, and as the boat bumped at

the pier I laughed.

"Bah! these men!" ejaculated Larry.

"What men?" I demanded, giving my bags to a

porter.

"These men who are in love," he said. "I know the

signs,-mooning, silence, sudden inexplicable laughter!

I hope I'll not be in jail when you're married."




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