"Father!" At last Sandy was beside the old man. "Father, remember he is our guest! He has come to clear--can you not see--he has cleared--our name!" Exultation and joy flooded Sandy; and his touch on his father's arm, the thrill in his voice had power to calm the old man. "Good God!" Treadwell exclaimed, rising and facing the two; "is it out of such stuff, such dreams, such grudges, such shabby jokes, the life of the hills is made?" "Yes." Sandy whispered, "out of such stuff we come--or remain! You can never know what you have done for us, Lans. Father will realize it later--he's nearer the past than I am. For myself I--thank you! You have, well, you cannot understand, but it's like you had put a broad, wide window in our lives, letting in sunshine and sweet air where mould and rot had once been." He stretched his hand out frankly and tried to push his father forward to do the same, but Martin turned away, the tears streaming from his eyes. Sandy was looking to the future; Martin to the past; and Lansing Treadwell stood between the two with a light laugh upon his lips and a vague, contemptuous wonder in his eyes. CHAPTER XX They had tramped the hills together, Sandy and Lans. They had gone carefully over the plans for the factory and Home-school, had seen the growing building of the former and revelled in the dreams of the latter. "It proves my liking for you, old chap," Lans had said, "when I can look at all this and not envy you. You see, Uncle Levi wanted to train me in the way I should go, but I got a twist in the wrong direction and--well! I never squeal. That's about all the philosophy or religion I have--I never squeal! Live your life; take your chances and squeal not! Then you remember I used to tell you that I was a big bungling giant? You've got the vision and the leading. But to think of Uncle Levi putting the reins in your hands! I can imagine him letting any one he likes hold the _end_ of the reins--but he's leaned back and is letting you drive." "Yes--but only because his big, wise head and loving heart tell him this is a safe road to travel." "Oh! I don't know. Who's going to be any the better for--all this? There's a lot of Tommyrot about charity. If I were going to splurge I'd do it in the middle of the stage and make an advertisement of it at the same time. It's cheaper and more sensible. Why, if Uncle Levi would spend in Boston what he's spending up here--he'd have the world talking about his mills." Sandy turned away. He was thinking of what Levi had said to him a few weeks before as he was ending his visit in Bretherton.