the extremely simple deed by virtue of which Molesworth, the house and park, and all that was within, house and park passed into the possession of Lewis S. Palmer on payment of the sum of two hundred thousand pounds.
' And I'll cable to Lewis right along,' said Bilton at the conclusion, ' and you'll find the sum standing to your credit to-morrow morning. By the way, Lewis expressly told me to ask you whether you had any wishes of any sort with regard to Molesworth—any small thing you wanted out of it, or anything you wanted kept exactly as it is.'
Gallio considered a moment.
' Ah, there's the visitors' book,' he said; ' I should rather like to have that. I don't think it could be of any value to Mrs. Palmer, as it only contains the names of friends of mine who have stayed there.'
' Distinguished names?' asked Bilton.
' I suppose you might call some of them distinguished.'
' I guess Mrs. Palmer might like to keep it on,' said Bilton. ' But I'll ask. Anything else?'
' I should rather like the oak avenue left as it is,' said Gallio. ' It was planted in the reign of Henry VIII., and several what you would call distinguished people—James I. and George I. among them—planted trees there.'
' Mrs. Palmer will have a gold fence put round it,' said Bilton, with a touch of sarcasm.
' That will add very greatly to the beauty of the sylvan scene,' Gallio permitted himself to remark. ' In fact, if I ever have the pleasure of seeing Molesworth again, I shall expect to find it improved out of all recognition.'
' I expect Mrs. Palmer will smarten it up a bit,' said Bilton, quite unmoved.
That excellent man of business went down to Molesworth next day in order to inspect it generally, with a view to estimating what would have to be spent on it to make it habitable. He had sufficient taste to see the extraordinary
