“Well, sir,” said the philosopher, without giving himself pause for the exchange of reflections upon his presence in Boston, which might have been agreeable to him on a less momentous occasion.  “It’s all up with Lion’s Head.”

“What do you mean?” demanded Westover, with his mind upon the mountain, which he electrically figured in an incredible destruction.

“She’s burnt.  Burnt down the day before yist’d’y aft’noon.  A’n’t hardly a stick of her left.  Ketehed Lord knows how, from the kitchen chimney, and a high northwest wind blowin’, that ca’d the sparks to the barn, and set fire to that, too.  Hasses gone; couldn’t get round to ’em; only three of us there, and mixed up so about the house till it was so late the critters wouldn’t come out.  Folks from over Huddle way see the blaze, and helped all they could; but it wa’n’t no use.  I guess all we saved, about, was the flag-pole.”

“But you’re all right yourselves?  Cynthia”

“Well, there was our misfortune,” said Whitwell, while Westover’s heart stopped in a mere wantonness of apprehension.  “If she’d be’n there, it might ha’ be’n diff’ent.  We might ha’ had more sense; or she would, anyway.  But she was over to Lovewell stockin’ up for Thanksgivin’, and I had to make out the best I could, with Frank and Jombateeste.  Why, that Canuck didn’t seem to have no more head on him than a hen.  I was disgusted; but Cynthy wouldn’t let me say anything to him, and I d’ know as ’t ’ould done any good, myself.  We’ve talked it all over in every light, ever since; guess we’ve set up most the time talkin’, and nothin’ would do her but I should come down and see you before I took a single step about it.”

“How—­step about what?” asked Westover, with a remote sense of hardship at being brought in, tempered by the fact that it was Cynthia who had brought him in.

“Why, that devil,” said Whitwell, and Westover knew that he meant Jeff, “went and piled on all the insurance he could pile on, before he left; and I don’t know what to do about it.”

“I should think the best thing was to collect the insurance,” Westover suggested, distractedly.

“It a’n’t so easy as what that comes to,” said Whitwell.  “I couldn’t collect the insurance; and here’s the point, anyway.  When a hotel’s made a bad season, and she’s fully insured, she’s pootty certain to burn up some time in the winter.  Everybody knows that comical devil wanted lion’s Head to burn up so ’t he could build new, and I presume there a’n’t a man, woman, or child anywhere round but what believes I set her on fire.  Hired to do it.  Now, see?  Jeff off in Europe; daytime; no lives lost; prop’ty total loss ’s a clear case.  Heigh?  I tell you, I’m afraid I’ve got trouble ahead.”