“Ba Jove,” murmured the Englishman, as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other.  “It was a deucedly nasty business.  I’m very pleased to meet you again, Mr.—­a—­a—­”

“Thornton,” said Mr. Allen.

“Mr. Thornton, and—­”

“Never mind that,” continued Willis.  “All I have to say is that I would count it a very great favor, personally, if you could see your way clear to let us have the use of that cabin for an Association camp, until such time as you are ready to build or make other improvements there.”

“Why—­a—­yes, I’ll be pleased to do that,” returned Mr. Pembroke confusedly.  “Deucedly glad to ’ave a chance to serve you, don’t you know.  Now, just what is your plan again, gentlemen?”

The plan was carefully gone over, this time with Willis as spokesman.  Mr. Pembroke listened carefully till he had finished, then he replied, “Ba Jove, I like the idea, it ’as points to it.  I’d like to furnish the necessary lumber for the desired addition myself.  It will be a deucedly comfortable ’ome for the boys.  You know it was the Association boys that returned my dog to me.”

Before leaving his office, a three years’ lease was arranged for and everything looked lovely.  What was more, the addition could be started at once.

“Well, by the Great Horn Spoon!” ejaculated Mr. Dean when they were well outside.  “You are a wonder!  That is what I call nerve.  Now tell me all about it.”

“Bah!” replied Willis, “I hated to do it, but I had to.  I was going to ask the old boy what Mr. Williams would say to him, but I thought better of it.  To-night is when I have my fun.  I’ll tell my uncle about our deal and watch him squirm.  I wonder if he’ll get mad.  I can tell by the way he acts if this recording business was a put-up job.  There still remains the question, though—­why does he want to keep me away from that cabin?  It has something to do with my father’s old mine, I’m sure of that much; and I’ll find out, you see if I don’t.”

The evening papers gave a glowing account of the interest of Mr. Beverly H. Pembroke in the new Y.M.C.A. cabin project, and gave the plan of work.  A circus was already being planned to raise funds for the building, and a stock company had been organized among the boys of the Boys’ Department to furnish funds with which to begin work at once.  Work would be started the next Saturday.  The stockholders and some others would go to the cabin on Friday evening, camp around a fire all night, and be ready to begin work in the morning.  After supper that evening Willis had a long chat with his mother, and talked over with her all the things that had been disturbing him in regard to his uncle’s recent actions.

“I think you must surely be mistaken,” she said.  “What object could he have in doing such things.  You must remember that you have a very vivid imagination, and you must watch it.”