"I thank you sincerely; that is exactly what I wished."

"We will be ready for dinner at six."

"I shall be on hand promptly."

Clarence was anxious to see his broker and afraid he would leave the office before he got there, but it was more imperative yet to visit his tailor. He did so, and though in haste, selected with care the cut and style and color which he knew was most becoming. He left a list of all the articles of clothing he desired to be sent to his hotel by five o'clock, and then directed his driver to take him to his broker's office.

"Just in time," said Hubert Haverly, coming forward to meet him. "As soon as the steamer was signaled at the gate, I sent to look for our Arizona men. They are now at the back office waiting for you."

"Tell me something about the matter, to guide me. And tell me too, how poor or how rich I am, before I make any bargain to purchase mines."

"Well, on the whole, I guess I'll call you rich. I bought the farm as you-or rather as Everett-telegraphed. I paid-well, how much do you think I paid for it?"

"Hundred and forty thousand?"

Hubert shook his head, saying "Try again."

"Hundred and twenty?"

"Ninety thousand only, lucky fellow."

"What? You said he asked a hundred and fifty thousand."

"Yes, and you-or Everett-telegraphed to pay the money, but you see the poor fellow lost heavily in stocks that day, and as the bank was going to foreclose on the farm for a loan of forty thousand, he thought the best thing he could do was to sell out quick. He came to see me and said 'Do you think Clarence will buy for one hundred and twenty thousand?' I told him I had telegraphed to you and probably you would come up. He said 'If you pay me ninety thousand cash down _to-day_, Clarence can have the farm for that price.' I told him to let me have the refusal for you, for that price, until the next morning. I got your telegram in the evening. Next morning he came looking very dejected, and asked if I had heard from you. 'Yes,' I said. He waited, but as I said no more, he added, 'I hope Clarence is not going to pinch me hard. The farm is worth two hundred thousand, but as the Darrells made all the improvements on it, I am willing he should have it cheaper than any one else. How much does he offer?' 'He left it to me to make the best bargain I can. I will let you have the ninety thousand, of course.' You never saw a man so relieved. He lifted his head and said, 'I will pay all my debts and have thirty thousand clear, anyway, to make a beginning,' and so the papers were drawn up and the farm is yours. I congratulate you."

"Thanks," Clarence said, squeezing Hubert's hand. "And now about the balance on hand and the Arizona mines."

"Well, you have about one hundred thousand dollars. If you sell all your stocks, you could have two hundred thousand," Hubert replied.

"Besides the interest on the bonds?"

"Certainly. I never figure on that."

"What about the Arizona mines?"

"Well, the men say they are yet '_a prospect_,' but a very good one.

Their proposition is that you pay them five hundred dollars down if you accept their proposal. Then you are to send an expert to examine the mines. If on his report you conclude to buy them at once, you can have them for ten thousand dollars. If you prefer to bond them to prospect further before buying, then you can have six months to prospect; but then you must pay two thousand down, and at the end of the six months you must pay fifty thousand dollars if you want both mines, or twenty thousand if you only take one. The shaft they have sunk is the dividing line between the two mines."

"Between the two prospects," Clarence suggested.

"Yes, that is more proper, the shaft is only about one hundred feet deep. But you had better talk to them. They brought rock similar to that which they sent me last month."

Rather rough looking men were the three waiting, but all had good faces.

After exchanging salutations with them, Clarence asked:

"Have you had any assays made?"

"Yes sir," said the oldest of the three handing to him three slips of paper. "Here are three certificates from assayers recommended to us as the best in San Francisco."

"What! One hundred silver and one hundred and fifty gold? And two hundred, and three hundred and fifty? But that is enormous for surface rock."

The miners laughed. The oldest said:

"And the ledge is so wide that it almost takes the half of the hill. We took two claims and put our prospect shaft in the middle."

"Did you make your locations in good legal form?" was the next question.

"Yes sir, we have our papers," said the spokesman, handing to Clarence some papers.

"I see you are four partners, where is the other?"

"He is at the mine, working at the shaft."

"Well gentlemen," Clarence said, "I have just come, an hour ago. I don't know how soon I will find an expert, but I think I will do so between now and to-morrow by mid-day. I will consult with him and see how soon he can go to look at your mines. Meantime I'll have some of the rock assayed. From what depth was the rock assayed taken?"

"From fifty, seventy and ninety feet. We have some few pieces from the last we took the day we left, at a depth of one hundred feet." So saying, he handed to Clarence other pieces of rock which looked much richer, adding, "This is the ore we have not had assayed yet. My opinion is that the rock hasn't changed much."

It was agreed that Clarence would meet them at eleven next morning and notify them if he had found an expert. When they had left the room Clarence asked Hubert where his brother Fred was.

"He is here, he came yesterday."

"And you did not mention that fact to me, when you know I want a good, reliable expert."

"I did not, because I wouldn't urge his services upon any one-even you-and then I think he might be already engaged to go to examine some mines in Nevada, as parties have been looking for him for that purpose."

"Please don't be so proud as to deprive me of the services of so good a man, but tell him to come to my hotel at once."

"Very well, I'll tell him, but he will not be here until five o'clock.

Shall I tell him to call on you after dinner?"

"Yes, at half-past seven exactly, to send his card to me to any place I may be at the hotel. And now I'll go to have two or three assays more of this rock. Remember, I shall be looking for Fred at half-past seven."

"I'll remember. He will be there promptly."

It was very evident that the "party from San Diego" made an impression and quite a stir among the guests of the hotel, who were at dinner when they entered the dining-room. Preceded by the head waiter, they had to cross the entire length of the room, for the seats assigned to them were at the furthest corner from the door. Everybody turned to look, to see what everybody else was looking at, and all acknowledged that they had never seen handsomer or more graceful people than those two couples.

Exclamations of surprise were uttered in suppressed tones, and unqualified praises were whispered everywhere. The head waiter was called here and there to say who these four people were, so very handsome and _distingue_.

"They are from Southern California, on their way east. Mr. George Mechlin and bride, her sister, and their friend Mr. Darrell, travelling with them," was the answer that the steward had to give twenty times.

"Which is the bride, the blonde or the brunette?"

"The brunette."

After dinner several young gentlemen remained in the corridors to see them pass, and some four eastern tourists who were dining at the next table, made a pretext of drinking more wine, to remain looking at the southern beauties. One of them especially looked at Mercedes so persistently that Clarence began to feel angry, and when they arose from the table he looked at the admirer with a bold stare of defiant reproval. But that in no way checked the admiration of the New Yorker, and he followed as near to Mercedes as he could, and when he saw her disappear into her parlor, he looked at the number on the door and went straight to the office to make all the enquiries he could concerning those two beautiful ladies. The clerk gave all the information he could, and added laughing:

"I have had to answer those questions a dozen times already."

Immediately after dinner a waiter came from the office and handed to Clarence a card, with "Fred Haverly" written on it.