"He is fully aware of his condition," said Billy, "but, unfortunately, not yet resigned to it." (I should think not.) "I see you have been studying this thing out," said Mr. Prunty, "as exactly as if it had been an engineering problem; and I want to say, Mr. Helmerston, that I like your style. If we ever control this business the future of such careful and competent and far-sighted men as yourself--in fact, I may say _your_ future--will be bright and assured. Have you any more information for me as to this--this sad affair of Blunt's?" Billy thanked him, and said he hadn't, at present, and Mr. Prunty went away, trying to look sad. Billy went to the bank in Pa's name and arranged for a lot of money to be used in acquiring the Prunty stock, if it should be needed. The stock was worth twice as much, and the bank people knew it, and couldn't have believed, of course, that we would get it for _that_. Then the Pruntys made an engagement with me for Pa over the telephone, for a certain hour of a certain day, and I told Billy. "The time has come," said Billy, when the plot began thickening in this way, "for Little Willie to beard the lion in his den. Smuggle me into the room an hour before the Pruntys are due, darling, and we'll cast the die." I was all pale and quivery when I kissed Billy--in that sort of serious way in which we women kiss people we like, when we tell them to come back with their shields or on them--and pushed him into the room. I heard all they said. It was dark in there, and Pa thought at first that it was a Prunty. Pa was sitting in the Morris chair, with his foot on a rest. "That you, Enos?" said he. "Help yourself to a chair. I'm kind of laid up for repairs." "It's Helmerston," said Billy. "I called to talk to you about this affair with Mr. Prunty. I have some information which may be of value to you." Pa sat as still as an image for perhaps a minute. I could almost hear his thoughts. He was anathematizing Billy mentally for butting in, but he was too good a strategist to throw away any valuable knowledge. "Well," said he at last, "I'm always open to valuable information. Turn it loose!" Then Billy told him all you know, and a good deal more, which I shall not here state, because it is not necessary to the scenario, and I did not understand it, anyhow. There was some awfully vivid conversation at times, though, when Pa went up into the air at what Billy had done, and Billy talked him down. "Do you mean to say, you--you young lunatic," panted Pa, "that you've told Prunty that he's got a living corpse to deal with, when I need all the prestige I've won with him to hold my own?" But Billy explained that he'd taken the liberty of thinking the whole thing out; and, anyhow, had merely refrained from removing a mistaken notion from Prunty's mind. "But," said he, "you can assure him when he gets here that you are really in robust health."