Frank looked at Havener in surprise when he saw the man was hesitating. Havener returned the look. He glanced at the others, and then abruptly said:
"I'm bound to tell you just what it is liable to mean if you put your money behind us."
"All right," smiled Frank. "You can tell me that up in the room. Come ahead."
"Well, if you say so. Cates, tell everybody to come to my room right away."
Fifteen minutes later the entire company was packed into Havener's room. Hans and Ephraim were also there.
"Mr. Merriwell asked me to have you called here," Havener explained. "He has some kind of a proposal to make."
Cassie caught him by the arm and pulled him round.
"You don't mean to say that you're going to let him throw his little roll away, do ye?" she hastily whispered, looking at him in surprise and reproval.
"I've told him what it means," muttered the manager, a bit resentfully. "If he's itching to blow his stuff, he'll blow it, and we might as well get the benefit of it."