"My scheme of getting you to return Uncle John his money?" "Your plan of getting his money into your own possession." "Call it as you like. You will hear from us very soon." "Is that meant as a threat?" "Well, perhaps so." "Go ahead. Take what measures you choose. It is immaterial to me." "What did I tell you, Giles?" said John Plympton, as they left the store. "Eben Jackson is meaner than I supposed. We will give him a little surprise." "Before night Eben Jackson received the following letter from the leading lawyer in Rochester: "SIR-- "My client, Mr. Giles Packard, has placed in my hands for collection a demand note for three thousand dollars, signed by yourself, transferred to him by John Plympton. Will you arrange to pay it? If not, I am instructed by my client to sue. "Yours respectfully, "EDWARD NETTLETON, Att'y." This was like a bomb in the camp of the enemy. Mr. Nettleton was a sharp and successful lawyer, and to be feared. He was steep in his charges, and Eben felt that his cousin was a fool to employ so high-priced an attorney. He lost no time in seeking the humble hotel where his uncle and cousin were domiciled. "What does all this mean?" he demanded, angrily. "What do you refer to?" "To Mr. Nettleton's letter." "It means that I am going to have my uncle's money," said Giles, firmly. "Your lawyer will charge you an immense fee. Better let the matter drop." "Eben Jackson, I'll make you pay that money if it costs me five thousand dollars for expenses." "Ridiculous! Why, you are almost a pauper." "I hope not. When I left Colorado I was worth nearly a hundred thousand dollars. I don't think I have lost any money since." "Is this true?" gasped Jackson. "It is. You thought me poor, because I was poorly dressed. You were mistaken. I am what is called a rich man. I am unmarried, but after the way you have treated me, you can judge what chances you have of being remembered in my will." "It is all a mistake, Cousin Giles," said Eben, in a conciliatory tone. "I'll pay the money, and I hope you and Uncle John will do me the favor of staying at my house while you are in Rochester." Giles Packard smiled grimly. "We shall start for New York to-morrow," he said, "and it won't be advisable for us to leave the hotel. I shall leave the note in Mr. Nettleton's hands, and I will give you a month in which to pay it." "Thank you. Won't you call at the house? Mary will be glad to see you, and I want to show you the children." "Yes, we will call." Giles Packard smiled when his cousin left the hotel. "Eben seems to have changed," he said. "I think we shan't have any more trouble with him." CHAPTER XXXIX. NEW PLANS. When Rupert entered the Somerset Hotel on his return from the West he received a cordial welcome from Mr. Malcolm, the clerk. "I hope you have had a pleasant journey," he said. "Very pleasant, on the whole." "And do you want your old place again?"