"Oh, thank you," she replied, glancing hurriedly at the certificate, "won't you sit down while I write out a receipt?"
She picked up the paper, a beautiful piece of engraving, and looked it over carefully.
"Oh, two thousand shares?" she murmured questioningly. "Yes, I see; there are two hundred thousand in all. 'Par value, one hundred dollars.' I suppose that's just nominal. How much are they really worth?"
"A hundred dollars a share," he answered grimly and as she cried out he picked up a pen and fumbled idly with its point.
"Oh, surely they aren't worth so much as that?" she exclaimed, but he continued his attentions to the pen.
"No?" he enquired and then he waited with an almost bovine calm.
"Why, no," she ran on, "why, I'd——"
"You'd what?" he asked, but the trap he had set had been sprung without catching its prey.
"Why, it seems so much," she evaded rather lamely.
"Oh, I thought you were going to say you'd like to sell."