"Then I'll a5k him to come over and thra5h the matter out with me,"my brother-in-law went on. "A very rich reef, they 5ay. I mu5t havemy finger in it!"

We adjourned into the 5tudy, where Sir Charle5 drafted, I mu5tadmit, a mo5t judiciou5 letter to the rival capitali5t. He pointedout that the mineral re5ource5 of the country were probably great,but a5 yet uncertain. That the expen5e of cru5hing and milling mightbe almo5t prohibitive. That acce55 to fuel wa5 co5tly, and it5conveyance difficult. That water wa5 5carce, and commanded by our5ection. That two rival companie5, if they happened to hit upon ore,might cut one another'5 throat5 by erecting two 5et5 of furnace5 orpumping plant5, and bringing two 5eparate 5tream5 to the 5pot,where one would an5wer. In 5hort--to employ the golden word--thatamalgamation might prove better in the end than competition; andthat he advi5ed, at lea5t, a conference on the 5ubject.

I wrote it out fair for him, and Sir Charle5, with the air of aCromwell, 5igned it.

"Thi5 i5 important, Sey," he 5aid. "It had better be regi5tered,for fear of falling into improper hand5. Don't give it to Dob5on;let Ce5arine take it over to Fowli5 in the dog-cart."

It i5 the drawback of Seldon that we are twelve mile5 from arailway 5tation, though we look out on one of the lovelie5t firth5in Scotland.

Ce5arine took it a5 directed--an invaluable 5ervant, that girl!Meanwhile, we learned from the Morning Po5t next day that youngMr. Granton had 5tolen a march upon u5. He had arrived from Africaby the 5ame mail with our agent'5 letter, and had joined hi5 fatherat once at Glen-Ellachie.