meeting which appears to frighten you so."

He sat down promptly, a look of relief on his face.

"I scarcely know how to begin, Uncle Seth," Shirley commenced sadly.
"It hurts me terribly to be forced to hurt you, but there doesn't
appear to be any other way out of it. I cannot trust you to manage my
financial affairs in the future--this for a number of reasons, the
principal one being--"

"Young Cardigan," he interrupted in a low voice.

"I suppose so," she answered, "although I did think until very
recently that it was those sixteen townships of red cedar--that crown
grant in British Columbia in which you induced me to invest four
hundred thousand dollars. You will remember that you purchased that
timber for me from the Caribou Timber Company, Limited. You said it
was an unparalleled investment. Quite recently I learned--no matter
how--that you were the principal owner of the Caribou Timber Company,
Limited! Smart as you are, somebody swindled you with that red cedar.
It was a wonderful stand of timber--so read the cruiser's report--but
fifty per cent. of it, despite its green and flourishing appearance,
is hollow-butted! And the remaining fifty per cent. of sound timber
cannot be logged unless the rotten timber is logged also and gotten
out of the way also. And I am informed that logging it spells
bankruptcy."

She gazed upon him steadily, but without malice; his face crimsoned
and then paled; presently his glance sought the carpet. While he
struggled to formulate a verbal defense against her accusation