entire lower floor of the apartment building for ourselves, with a
private driveway arched right through it; and we could take the
first three floors of the rear part for our own use, with wonderful
Venetian balconies overlooking the terraces and the river. The
remaining apartments would have entrances on the two front corners,
leaving us all the effect of a Venetian palace. Don't you think
that's clever?"

"It is clever!" he repeated with smiling emphasis, and mentally
raising Chase's ultimatum ten per cent.

"I suppose you'll want to charge us more for the property than you
paid for it," she suggested with a faint hope that maybe he might
not, since he had bought it so recently--and through them.

"That's what I'm in business for," he blandly acknowledged. "I can
let you have the property for two hundred and seventy-five thousand
dollars."

"How much did you say?" she gasped.

"Two hundred and seventy-five thousand."

"Why, it's an outrage!" she puffed. "You paid only two hundred and
ten thousand for it yesterday."

"I'm not telling you its cost to me yesterday, but its value to-
day," he reminded her.

Mrs. Guff had helped her husband to his business success in the