"If you want to keep your ill-gotten gains," she said, "you ought never to have come to this place. Wasn't there some kind friend to tell you that our prices are absolutely prohibitive? We haven't gone into business for fun but with the intention of making money hand over fist. It's only fair to warn you." She imagined that, at the outside, he might have received a couple of thousand dollars for his family silver, and it seemed wicked that he should be allowed to part with this little capital for food, lodging, and a little trout-fishing. "My silver," he said, "turned out to be worth a lot of money, and I have put it all in trust for myself, so that my wife and children shall never want." A flicker of disappointment appeared in Maud Darling's eyes. "But I didn't know you were married," she said lamely. "Oh, I'm not--yet!" he exclaimed joyfully. "But I mean to be." "Engaged?" she asked. "Hope to be--mean to be," he confessed. And at this moment Colonel Melville Meredith came in out of the night. Having bowed very low to Miss Darling, he turned to his cousin. "Did Langham find you?" he asked. "No." "Well, he's a-waiting at our house. I said I thought you'd be right back." "Then we--" began Jonstone. "Not we--_you_," said his cousin, malice in his eyes. "I want to ask Miss Darling some questions about telegrams and special messages by telephone." Bob Jonstone withdrew himself with the utmost reluctance. "We have a telephone that connects us with the telegraph office at Carrytown," Maud began, but Colonel Meredith interrupted almost rudely. "We engaged our rooms for ten days only," he said, "but I want to keep them for the rest of the summer. Please don't tell me that they are promised to some one else." "But they are," said she; "I'm very sorry." "Can't you possibly keep us?" She shook her fine head less in negation than reflection. "I don't see how," she said finally, "unless some one gives out at the last minute. There are just so many rooms and just so many applicants." "How long," he asked, "would it take to build a little house for my cousin and me?" "If we got all the carpenters from Carrytown," said Maud, "it could be done very quickly. But----" "Now you are going to make some other objection!" "I was only going to say that if you wanted to go camping for a few weeks, we could supply you with everything needful. We have first-rate tents for just that sort of thing." "But we don't want to go camping. We want to stay here." "Exactly. There is no reason why you shouldn't pitch your tent in the main street of this camp and live in it." "That's just what we'll do," said Colonel Meredith, "and to-morrow we'll pick out the site for the tent--if you'll help us." XXII Early the next morning Colonel Meredith and his cousin Bob Jonstone presented themselves at the office dressed for walking. Butter would not have melted in their mouths.