"As I sent a long letter to the judge last evening, I will not add more to this. Our sympathy, dear Mr. Tennant, with your irreparable loss is heartfelt; you do not need our assurances of that, I know. "Mr. Singleton desires me to present his respects. And I beg to remain your obedient servant, N. SINGLETON." XXIV. Midsummer at Port aux Pins. The day was very hot; there was no feeling of dampness, such as belongs sometimes to the lower-lake towns in the dog-days, up here the air remained dry and clear and pure; but the splendid sunshine had almost the temperature of flame; it seemed as if the miles of forest must take fire, as from a burning-glass. Eve stood at the open window of Paul's little parlor. A figure passed in the road outside, but she did not notice it. Reappearing, it opened the gate and came in. "Many happy returns--of cooler weather! We ought to pity the Eyetalians; what must their sufferings be on such a day as this!" Eve gazed at the speaker unseeingly. Then recognition arrived;--"Oh, Mr. Hollis." Hollis came into the house; he joined her in the parlor. "My best respects. Can't help thinking of the miserable Eyetalians." Eve made no reply. "Just heard a piece of news," Hollis went on. "Paul has sold his Clay County iron. He would have made five times as much by holding on. But he has been so jammed lately by unexpected demands made upon him that he had no other course; all his brother's South American speculations have come to grief, and the creditors have come down on _him_ like a thousand of brick!" "Will he have to pay much?" asked Eve, her lassitude gone. "More than he's got," answered Hollis, putting his hands still more deeply into his trousers pockets, his long, lean, fish-like figure projecting itself forward into space from the sixth rib. "I don't get this from Paul, you may depend; _he_ don't blab. But the law sharks who came up here to get hold of whatever they could (for you see Paul has always been a partner in his brother's enterprises, so that gives 'em a chance), these scamps talked to me some. So I know. But even the sale of his Clay County iron won't clear Paul--he will have to guarantee other debts; it will take him years to clear it all off, unless he has something better than his present salary to do it with." "You ought to have told me. I have money." "I guess he wouldn't take it. He's had pretty hard lines all round; he wanted terribly bad to go straight to Ferdie, as soon as he heard he was shot. But Mrs. Morrison--she had come here, you know; and he had all Ferdie's expenses to think of too, so that kept him grinding along. But he wanted awfully to go; he thought the world and all of Ferdie." "I know he did," said Eve. And now her face was like a tragic mask--deadly white, with a frown, the eyes under her straight brows looking at him fixedly.