The door, as it happened, was not closed, and Mrs. Devine was too intent to hear it swing open a little further. "The dollars," she said, "are by no means the most important consideration, but still----" She stopped abruptly at a sound, and then turned round with a little gasp, for Barbara stood just inside the room. Then there was a disconcerting silence for a moment or two, until the girl glanced at Devine. "Yes," she said, quietly. "I heard. When did Mr. Brooke buy that stock?" Devine understood the question, and once more the twinkle crept into his eyes. "Well," he said, "it was quite a while before they found the silver. I don't know what he did it for. Now, I guess I've been here longer than I meant to stay. You'll excuse me, Katty." He seemed in haste to get away, and when the door closed behind him the two who were left looked at one another curiously. Mrs. Devine was evidently embarrassed. "I suppose," she said, drily, "you don't know why Brooke bought those shares, either?" "I think I do," said Barbara, with unusual quietness, though the color was very visible in her cheeks. "He had a reason----" She stopped abruptly, and there was once more an awkward silence, until she made a little impulsive gesture. "Oh!" she said, sharply now, "I feel horribly mean. He stayed there through the winter when they had scarcely anything to eat, and bought that stock when nobody else would have it or believed in the Dayspring. Then he risked his life to save the Canopus, and when he came down, worn out and ill, I had only hard words for him." "Well," said Mrs. Devine, drily, "the sensation is probably good for you. You don't seem to remember that he also tried to jump the mine." Barbara turned towards her with a little sparkle in her eyes. "Have you--never--done anything that was wrong?"