Page:O'Higgins--From the life.djvu/279

 money—and more, too—but I don't want my name to appear. Understand? I want this to be between us two. See? Just— Who's that?"

Matt was bending forward, busy with his oars. The boat had swung around so that its nose was pointing toward the home shore again. There was a man in a topcoat and a derby standing at the landing.

"Who is it? Who's that?"

A note of alarm in the voice startled Matt to attention. He caught the direction of Ben's eyes and turned in his seat to look.

The man was a stranger to him. "I dunno," he said. "What's the matter?"

Ben reached a hand to his satchel, put it on the bottom of the boat between his feet, and said, quietly: "Wait. Wait a minute. I think I know him. Don't row in." He had opened the bag. "In case anything happens I want you to buy that land for me. Understand?" He drew out a package of bank bills the size of a brick, strapped with elastic bands. He stooped to conceal his action from the man ashore, and threw the money along the bottom of the punt to his brother. It struck Matt's boot. "Whatever there's left over I want you to just put away safely for me. I'll trust you."

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing. Nothing. It's just the financial