"Thanks to you," he said. "I'll never forget this half-hour just gone. Your blue bunting of hope will be singing in my heart whenever things go wrong. You said a few things to me that I couldn't forget if I wanted to--for instance, that nothing, nobody, can hurt _me_, except myself. That's something to keep in mind. I feel equal to fight now, fight for my reputation. Some kind providence must have sent you up the hill to find me." "Ach," she said depreciatively, "I didn't do a thing but steady you up a bit. I'm glad I happened to come up and see you. Go tell them if they're hunting for a thief they're looking in the wrong direction when they look at Martin Landis! Hurry! So you can get back before they think you've run away. I'll be so anxious to hear how much the Mertzheimers have to do with this. I can see their name written all over it!" Smiling, almost happy again, the man turned down the road to his home and Amanda went on to the Reist farmhouse. She, too, was smiling as she went. She had read between the lines of the man's story and had seen there the moving finger writing above the name of Isabel Souders, "_Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin_." CHAPTER XIX VINDICATION When Martin Landis entered the bank early in the afternoon of that same day he presented a different appearance from that of his departure in the morning. His head was held erect, his step determined, as he opened the swinging door of the bank and entered. "What--Landis, you back?" Mr. Buehlor greeted him, while the quizzical eyes of the old man looked into those of the younger. "I'm back and I'm back to get this hideous riddle solved and the slate washed clean." "Come in, come in!" Mr. Buehlor drew him into a little room and closed the door. "Sit down, Landis." "Well, how much is the bank short?" He looked straight into the eyes of the man who, several hours before, had dealt him such a death-blow. "So far everything is right, right as rain! There's a mistake or a damnable dirty trick somewhere." "Let's sift it out, Mr. Buehlor. Will you tell me who had the 'inside information' that I was taking bank's money?" "I'll tell you! It was a farmer near your home---" "Mr. Mertzheimer?" offered Martin. "The same! He asked to have you watched, then changed it and insisted on having the books examined. Said your people are poor--forgive me, Landis, but I have to tell you the whole story." "Don't mind that. That's a mere scratch after what I got this morning."