"Now," he continued when we had lighted them, "an hour, or two hours, as you will."
"I don't think it will take long, at least I hope not. You will remember saying last night that the present government in Rudarlia left the army in an almost necessitous state, almost without clothing and food?"
"That is so," said Quarovitch, with a perplexed look.
"It struck me," I said, after a moment's hesitation, "that a man like yourself, with a certain sum of money, might do a great deal to alleviate such conditions among the men under your command."
"So he might, but I thought I made it sufficiently plain that I was without private means."
"You did; therefore, I have come to offer them to you, or rather to ask you to accept for your troops a sum of money from me."
He looked from me to Mr. Neville, with an inquiring lift of his eyebrows.
"No," I said, smiling, "I am not mad, but I am intensely interested in everything Rudarlian; and, if you could see your way to be banker for your troops, you would place me enormously in your debt."
"It is impossible, of course," he said quietly. "Rudarlia is in a bad way, I admit, but her army cannot be paid by an Englishman or any other foreigner. I thank you for your offer, but it is impossible."
He rose from his seat as though to terminate our conversation. He was angered, hurt too, by what he no doubt looked upon as an unwarrantable intrusion on my part; I felt that he looked upon me as one who had taken advantage of his outburst of the previous evening.