Daffingdon groaned inwardly; after all, they were wedded to their own notion. He explained to them the unfairness of their proposal--detailing the cost of models, the matter of draperies, the time required for study, the labours and difficulties of composition. To do experimentally what they were asking him to do would be to execute half the entire work on a mere chance. "Well, we won't buy a pig in a poke," said old Jeremiah sturdily. He was now on the familiar chequered pavement of black and white and felt a good deal at home. "We've got to see what we're going to pay for. That's business." "Never mind," said Andrew. "After all, we want something nearer to our own time and closer to our own town. We want to show ourselves loyal to the place where we've made our money. We want to put on record the humble beginnings of this great metropolis. The early days of our own city are plenty good enough for us." "That's right," said Jeremiah. He saw himself a lusty young fellow of twenty-five, the proud new head of a contractor's shop, with his own lumber pile, a dozen lengths of sewer pipe, a mortar bed, a wheelbarrow or two and a horse and cart. No need of going farther back than that. Those early days were glorious and fully worthy to be immortalized. "We want to make our new building talked about," said Hill. "We want every daily paper in town, and throughout the whole country, to be full of it. We want to make it an object of interest to every man, woman and child in our own community. When the little boys and girls come down Saturday morning to deposit their pennies--for we shall open a savings department that will welcome the humblest--we want them to learn from our walls the story of the struggles and the triumphs of their fathers' early days----" "That's right," said Jeremiah again. "If you had lived here as long as I have, young man, you would understand that there's no need of going outside our own bor-r-ders for anything we may require." "Yes, a great deal of history has been transacted on this site," said Hill,--"more than enough to meet the requirements of our present purpose. I have here"--he opened a drawer in one side of his desk and drew out a paper--"I have here a list of subjects that I think would do. Mr. McNulty and I drew it up together. Take it and look it over; it might be an----" A shadow darkened the door. It was another interruption from the Morrell Twins. This time it was not Richard Morrell, but Robin, his brother. His pocket bulged with what seemed to be papers of importance, and his face signalled to Andrew P. Hill to clear the deck of lesser matters. "--it might be an advantage to you," Andrew concluded. "This about represents our ideas; see what you can do with it."