Montague was quick in his rejoinder, though he made it at a venture. There was no difference of opinion between him and his friend on that point. Not the least.
‘Your great discovery,’ Jonas proceeded, with a savage sneer that got the better of him for the moment, ‘may be true, and may be false. Whichever it is, I dare say I’m no worse than other men.’
‘Not a bit,’ said Tigg. ‘Not a bit. We’re all alike—or nearly so.’
‘I want to know this,’ Jonas went on to say; ‘is it your own? You’ll not wonder at my asking the question.’
‘My own!’ repeated Montague.
‘Aye!’ returned the other, gruffly. ‘Is it known to anybody else? Come! Don’t waver about that.’
‘No!’ said Montague, without the smallest hesitation. ‘What would it be worth, do you think, unless I had the keeping of it?’
Now, for the first time, Jonas looked at him. After a pause, he put out his hand, and said, with a laugh:
‘Come! make things easy to me, and I’m yours. I don’t know that I may not be better off here, after all, than if I had gone away this morning. But here I am, and here I’ll stay now. Take your oath!’
He cleared his throat, for he was speaking hoarsely and said in a lighter tone: