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At the Time Appointed

Page 5

The face of the sleeper, with its clear-cut, well-moulded features,

formed a pleasing study, reminding one of a bit of unfinished carving,

the strong, bold lines of which reveal the noble design of the

sculptor--the thing of wondrous beauty yet to be--but which still lacks

the finer strokes, the final touch requisite to bring it to perfection.

Strength of character was indicated there; an indomitable will that

would bend the most adverse conditions to serve its own masterful

purpose and make of obstacles the paving-stones to success; a mind

gifted with keen perceptive faculties, but which hitherto had dealt

mostly with externals and knew little of itself or of its own powers.

Young, with splendid health and superabundant vitality, there had been

little opportunity for introspection or for the play of the finer,

subtler faculties; and of the whole gamut of susceptibilities, ranging

from exquisite suffering to ecstatic joy, few had been even awakened.

His was a nature capable of producing the divinest harmonies or the

wildest discords, according to the hand that swept the strings as yet

untouched.

For more than an hour Darrell slept. He was awakened by the murmur of

voices near him, confused at first, but growing more distinct as he

gradually recalled his surroundings, until, catching the name of

"Parkinson," he was instantly on the alert.

"Yes," a pleasant voice was saying, "I understand the Ajax is for sale

if the owners can get their price, but they don't want less than a cold

million for it, and it's my opinion they'll find buyers rather scarce at

that figure when it comes to a show down."

"Well, I don't know; that depends," was the reply. "The price won't

stand in the way with my people, if the mine is all right. They can hand

over a million--or two, for that matter--as easily as a thousand, if the

property is what they want, but they've got to know what they're buying.

That's what I'm out here for."

Taking a quiet survey of the situation, Darrell found that the section

opposite his own--which, upon his return from the dining-car, had

contained only a motley collection of coats and grips--was now occupied

by a party of three, two of whom were engaged in animated conversation.

One of the speakers, who sat facing Darrell, was a young man of about

two-and-twenty, whose self-assurance and assumption of worldly wisdom,

combined with a boyish impetuosity, he found vastly amusing, while at

the same time his frank, ingenuous eyes and winning smile of genuine

friendliness, revealing a nature as unsuspecting and confiding as a

child's, appealed to him strangely and drew him irresistibly towards the

young stranger. The other speaker, whom Darrell surmised to be

Parkinson, was considerably older and was seated facing the younger

man, hence his back was towards Darrell; while the third member of the

party, and by far the eldest, of whose face Darrell had a perfect

profile view, although saying little, seemed an interested listener.

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