“The confounded business is settled now,” he said, “and I am mighty glad to be rid of it. It is astonishing how things do happen,” he continued thoughtfully. “If any one here had offered me one half that amount for the land, I would have taken it quick. It was more accident than anything else that caused me to take that trip; but it was a mighty lucky accident for all of us.” “Lucky!” ejaculated Conway, astonished. Surely, he thought, Jim is not becoming so sordid as to care nothing for his sister’s feelings. “Why, yes, lucky,” continued Jim, smoking complacently. “I don’t mean as regards money alone; although that, of course, is worth considering. But just think of Norine and yourself.” “Mighty lucky for us, I fancy,” said Conway moodily. “Of course it was,” assented Jim. “You see, we know he is dead now; he can not trouble us again.” “He is certainly dead this time,” said Conway, getting up and pacing the floor. “I hope the boy won’t turn out like his father. Not that I think there is any danger of it; but such traits are sometimes inherited.” “I doubt that,” argued Jim. “Man is essentially a creature of circumstances. No man is a villain from choice. Suppose now that Norine had had her money when they were married, do you suppose he would ever have left her?” “Not as long as the money lasted, at any rate.” “There you do him an injustice. He would not have spent her money. He would have added to it. He was ambitious,” continued Jim, forgetting to smoke in the heat of his argument. “He was ambitious, and the money would have given him a chance to gratify his ambition; that is all. Probably if things had been different, I should have been proud of my brother-in-law. It was all a matter of chance.” “Is it a matter of chance that you and I are honest men?” asked Conway, greatly amused. “Yes; I think it is,” retorted Jim coolly. “You are not ambitious enough to be dishonest; and I have everything I need, so there is no temptation.” “Were you not honest before you became rich?” “Yes--from choice; no one ever gave me a chance to be dishonest then.” Conway laughed. “Don’t trust too much to chance,” he said. “You have heard the old saying, ‘Fools trust to chances; wise men make them.’” “That only shows that a fool’s wisdom is sometimes best,” retorted Jim. Conway did not continue the discussion. “Norine may not be pleased at my giving away so much money belonging to her son,” he said, to change the subject. “She would not have touched it,” replied Jim. “You did quite right, and she will thank you for it when she knows.” As he spoke he drew a mass of papers from the desk in front of him, and set busily to work arranging them in neat piles. Conway lay back in his easy-chair, and watched him lazily through the smoke. “You seem to be busy,” he said at last.