The Prophet seemed to feel that the appearance of Mr. Britt required comment.  He raised his voice and made that comment: 

“’And why take ye thought for raiment?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin; and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.’”

The Prophet bestowed a momentary benefit on gloomy Egypt—­the listeners did manage to crease their countenances with grins; Britt surveyed those grins before he turned his attention to Elias.  But all he did turn was his attention—­silent, bodeful, malicious scrutiny.  The onlookers were considerably surprised by Britt’s silence; they wondered what controlled his tongue; but they were not in doubt on one point—­every man of them knew that when Tasper Britt wore that expression it meant that he had settled upon the method of his revenge in the case of one who had offended him.

After a few moments Britt turned from his stare at the Prophet and dropped what was nigh to being a bombshell; it was more effective because it had nothing to do with the matter in hand.

“Listen, fellow townsmen!  We all know that we ought to put our shoulders to the wheel and do something for poor Egypt.  I propose to start off.”  He pointed to the old Britt mansion.  “I’m going to tear down my house.”

The men of Egypt goggled at him.

“Aye!  And start off with it?” queried the Prophet.  “Good riddance!”

But Mr. Britt was not troubling himself about the mouthings of Elias.

“I shall put a crew on it to-morrow.  A city contractor will arrive here this afternoon with equipment and men.  But he can also use all the local men who want to work.  All who will pitch in can hire with him at the regular scale of wages.  As soon as the site is cleared I shall start work on a new house.  The plans are drawn.  I have them here.”

He snapped the rubber bands off a roll which he carried under his arm.  He exhibited a watercolor facade elevation, stretching his arms wide and holding the paper in front of his face.  The men came crowding around.  They saw the drawing of a pretentious structure with towers and porticoes.  Britt, holding the architect’s broad sheet so that his features were hidden, explained the details of his project in regard to rooms and grounds.  There was a hateful expression on the hidden face; it was the face of a man who hoped he was stirring jealous envy in those whom he wished to punish.

“It will be a mansion to the queen’s taste, when you get it done,” observed one man; he took advantage of the fact that Britt could not see him and winked at a neighbor.  But if the man hoped to get a rise out of the builder in regard to a possible queen, he was disappointed.

Another citizen was more venturesome:  “I’m taking it for granted that you don’t intend to keep old-bach hall in a house like that, Tasper!”