Something in his manner attracted her attention.
“Why not?” she demanded.
Mr. Rogers looked at the fire for a moment before replying. “You wish to realize upon the land, you see,” he observed, vaguely. “The cablegram was received this morning. Macomb’s agent has no choice but to act on it now. By to-morrow, or next day at the farthest, there may be reasons apparent which would justify him in declaring the deal off. It is worth your while, and it should be made worth mine,” said Mr. Rogers, leaning upon the words, “to see that the matter is settled this afternoon. I have private advices that forest fires have started in northern Michigan—ah—somewhat in this vicinity, and their spread is greatly to be feared. I have not mentioned this to Mr. Le Garde.”
Mrs. Le Garde hesitated a moment. It would be charitable to suppose that she did not understand the situation so lightly sketched in, but I am afraid she did. Mr. Rogers did not raise his eyes.
“Oh, well,” she said, carelessly, “to-day or to-morrow, it doesn’t signify. If you will have a notary and Macomb’s agent at Mr. Le Garde’s office in half an hour, Mr. Rogers, I will be there.”
So it was that the papers were executed and payment made that afternoon. The next day but one, “Forest Fires. Danger to Lumber Interests in Michigan,” was a prominent head-line in the morning papers.
When Macomb came home from Vienna to look after his own affairs a month later he found himself the owner of a diminished bank account and some hundreds of acres of smoking pine-stumps.
He made a trip to northern Michigan to survey these latter possessions, and while there succeeded in securing some interesting statements which it pleased him to call “facts.” Armed with these, he went to Roderick Le Garde, and laid his case before him.
“First of all, I want to say that I have always thought you an honest man, Le Garde,” he observed, “and I wish to say that I am bringing no personal accusations, though the case looks black for you. But I know your man Rogers is a d——d scoundrel, though I fail to see how the sale could profit him, apart from its advantages to you. But you will see I have proof that he was well-informed on the day the transfer took place that that tract of timber was already on fire in a dozen places, and nothing on earth could save it from destruction. I call that obtaining money under false pretences, and I warn you if you don’t desire to repurchase the entire tract at the price I paid for it, that I propose to see at once what the courts will call it.”
“Much obliged for your good opinion of me,” said Le Garde, dryly. “I have perfect confidence in Rogers”—this was not strictly true, but Roderick was angry—“and none at all in your so-called ‘proofs.’ I shall do a little investigating for myself. If I find, as I believe, that Rogers had no other information in the matter than I myself possessed, and that you have met with your losses only in the ordinary course of events, you may bring as many suits as you like, and rest assured that the Fenley estate will fight them to the last dollar. If it is otherwise—but nothing else is possible! Good-morning, sir.”