His thoughts, however, dealt not with the possible rise in value of the six hundred and fifty shares which, endorsed in blank, reposed, presumably, somewhere in the vaults of Cabot, Bancroft and Cabot.  He thought not at all of anything like that.  He had gotten rid of those certificates and hoped never to hear of them again.  But now, with all this stir and talk, there was distinct danger that not only he but others might hear of them.  Galusha Bangs and Raish Pulcifer had, just now, one trait in common, both detested the publicity given their dealings in the securities of the Wellmouth Development Company.

But, in spite of this detestation, Horatio still seemed anxious to deal in those securities.  He visited the Phipps’ home twice that week, both times after dark and, as the watchful Primmie observed and commented upon, each time coming not by the lane, but across the fields.  And when he left, at the termination of his second visit, the expression upon his face was by no means one of triumph.

And Martha, of course, told her lodger what had transpired.

“I declare,” she said, after her caller had gone, “I shall really begin to believe somethin’ is up in that Development Company, just as the Trust Company man said.  Raish certainly wants to buy the two hundred and fifty shares he thinks I’ve got.  This is the third time he’s been to see me, sneakin’ across lots in the dark so nobody else would see him, and each time he raised his bid.  He got up to eighteen dollars a share to-night.  And, I do believe, if I had given him the least bit of encouragement, he would have gone higher still.  What do you think of that, Mr. Bangs?”

Galusha did not know what to think of it; he found it extremely unpleasant to think of it at all.

“Have you—­ah—­have you told him you do not intend selling?” he asked.

“Why, no, I haven’t.  You see, if I do he’ll think it’s awfully queer, because he knows how anxious I was, a while ago, to sell.  I just keep puttin’ him off.  Pretty soon I suppose I shall have to tell him I won’t sell no matter what he offers; but we’ll try the puttin’ off as long as possible.”  She paused, and then added, with a mischievous twinkle, “Really, Mr. Bangs, I am gettin’ a good deal of fun out of it.  A few months ago I was the one to go to him and talk about that stock.  Now he comes to me and I’m just as high and mighty as he ever was, you can be sure of that.  ‘Well, Raish,’ I said to him to-night, ’I don’t know that I am very much interested.  If the stock is worth that to you, I presume likely it’s worth it to me.’  Ha, ha!  Oh, dear! you should have seen him squirm.  He keeps tryin’ to be buttery and sweet, but his real feelin’s come out sometimes.  For instance, to-night his spite got a little too much for him and he said:  ‘Humph!’ he said, ’somebody must have willed you money lately, Martha.  Either that or keepin’ boarders must pay pretty well.’  ‘Yes,’ said I, ’it does.  The cost of livin is comin’ down all the time.’  Oh, I’m havin’ a beautiful game of tit-for-tat with Raish.”