'Well, I have an object, an ulterior motive. I want you to share a large fortune with me.'
Jim laughed. 'You may pick up a large family of brothers on those terms,' he said.
'You will do. Is it a bargain?'
'What is this fortune? Where is it? How was it come by?'
'The fortune is mainly in virgin gold; it is in an untried alluvial field.'
'If the field is untried, how do you know the gold is in it?'
'I put it there.'
Jim looked at Ryder sharply. 'You have not answered one of my questions,' he said. 'How was the gold come by?'
'There's no objection on that score,' Ryder answered lightly. 'It was come by dishonestly, every grain of it.'
'To me that is a serious objection. I am an honest man, my instincts are all for fair dealing, and I believe, as a simple everyday working principle, honesty is the best policy.'