"You have an excellent memory. I need not go into the details. In the course of a few months you required more money and I advanced it to you."
"Spare me the details of each transaction. Come to the point."
"I will. Up to the present day you have had from me, in various sums, at various times, a total of three thousand pounds----"
"In actual money, not half that."
"Which, with interest added," continued Dr. Vinsen, alias Ezra Lynn, not troubling himself to argue the point, "amounts now to a trifle over five thousand pounds. Will you oblige me by looking over these figures and verifying them?"
"No, I will take your word that they are correct, according to your reckoning."
"I thank you for your confidence," said Dr. Vinsen, who did not, however, seem to appreciate this indifference. "It is not to be supposed that I advanced my hard-earned capital without some sort of security. You gave it to me in the shape of a bill of sale over these art treasures of yours, for which you have an absurd passion, and which I do not deny have a marketable value, and over every piece of portable property in this house. From time to time I have urged you to discharge the debt, wholly or in part, and my appeals have been disregarded. My dear friend, there is a time when one's patience becomes exhausted. Need I say more?"
"Yes. You are only in the middle of the chapter. Samuel Boyd has to be introduced. Proceed."
"At your wish," said Dr. Vinsen, with evident reluctance. "Some six weeks ago, when I was pressing you for repayment, you made mention to me----"
"Stop. When you were pressing me for repayment and threatening to sell me up--you left out the latter clause."