conduct, with its conscious and subconscious inten-

l, There must be an end now of this silent re- serve, of that air of impenetrability behind which he had been safeguarding his dignity. It was the least ignoble form of dissembling forced upon him by that parody of civilized institutions which offended his in- telligence, his uprightness, and his sense of right. He was like his father, He had no ironic eye. He was not amused at the absurdities that prevail in this world. They hurt him in his innate gravity. He felt that the miserable death of that poor Decoud took from him his inaccessible position of a force in the background. It committed him openly unless he wished to throw up the game; and that was impos- sible. The material interests required from him the sacrifice of his aloofness perhaps his own safety, too. And he reflected tha . s separationist plan had not gone to the bottom with the lost silver. The only thing that was not changed was his posi- tion towards Mr. Holroyd. The head of the silver and steel interests had entered into Costaguana affairs with a sort of passion. Costaguana had become necessary to his existence; in the San Tome" mine he had found the imaginative satisfaction which other minds would get from drama, from art, or from a risky and fascinat- ing sport. It was a special form of the great man's extravagance, sanctioned by a moral intention big enough to flatter his vanity. Even in this aberration of his genius he served the progress of the world. Charles Gould felt sure of being understood with pre- cision and judged with the indulgence of their common

passion. Nothing now could surprise or startle his