"Excuse me; she is overdue, and the underwriters uneasy. I have made inquiries."
"At any rate, she is fully insured, and you hold the policies. Besides, the name of Wardlaw on your books should stand for bullion."
Burtenshaw shook his head. "Names are at a discount to-day, sir. We can't pay you down on the counter. Why, our depositors look cross at Bank of England notes."
To an inquiry, half ironical, whether the managers really expected him to find 81,000 pounds cash, at a few hours' notice, Burtenshaw replied, sorrowfully, that they felt for his difficulty while deploring their own; but that, after all, it was a debt. And, in short, if he could find no means of paying it, they must suspend payment for a time, and issue a statement—and—
He hesitated to complete his sentence, and Wardlaw did it for him.
"And ascribe your suspension to my inability to refund this advance?" said he, bitterly.
"I am afraid that is the construction it will bear."
Wardlaw rose, to intimate he had no more to say.
Burtenshaw, however, was not disposed to go without some clear understanding. "May I say we shall hear from you, sir?"
"Yes."