“Well?”
“Look here, old chap. I want to talk to you.”
“Why don’t you show yourself?”
For although the voice came from the cliff’s brow above, not even the speaker’s head was visible.
“Look here, old boss,” went on the latter, ignoring the question. “I’m a pretty desperate sort of a chap just now—because I’m desperately in want of the needful—all of it that I can lay hands on, in fact. Now, with you it’s different; for you went out of your way to tell me as much. Remember?”
“Go on.”
“Well, you said you’d be content with moderate riches. Now you’ve got them. With me it’s different. I want a good deal more than anything moderate.”
He paused, but no answer came from below.
“Well, what I want to propose is this. You hold on to what you’ve got, and I’ll stick to what I’ve got. Is that a bargain?”
“No.”