"Is that a crime?" I said. "I haven't a penny myself."
Then I felt absolutely amazed with myself. Here I was positively defending that young scamp and fortune-hunter who had this very afternoon admitted to me that he'd told Million fibs, and that he got what he could out of everybody.
Another thing. Here I was feeling quite annoyed with Mr. Brace for coming here with these warnings about this other man! Yet it was only the other day that I'd made up my mind to ask Mr. Brace for his candid opinion on the subject of Miss Million's new friend!
And now I said almost coldly: "Have you anything at all definite to tell me against Mr. Burke's character?"
"Yes. As it happens, I have," said Mr. Brace quickly, standing there even more stiffly. "I told you that I had met the man once before. I'll tell you where it was, Miss Lovelace. It was at my own bank. He came to me with a sort of an introduction from a client of ours, a young cavalry officer. He, Mr. Burke, told me he'd be glad to open an account with us."
"Yes? So did Miss Million."
"Hardly in the same way," said Mr. Brace. "After a few preliminaries this man Burke told me that at the moment he was not prepared to pay anything in to his account, but——"
"—But what?" I took up as my visitor paused impressively, as if before the announcement of something almost unspeakably wicked.
"This man Burke actually had the assurance," said the young bank manager in outraged tones, "the assurance to suggest to me that the bank should thereupon advance to him, as a loan out of his 'account,' fifty pounds down!"
"Yes?" I said a little doubtfully, for I wasn't quite sure where the point of this came in. "And then what happened?"