"Oh, I can assure you that this is no idle rumour! My brother, Lord Lismore, is on the board of directors. Not that he knows anything about business," she hastened to add, "but he likes to see his name in print; and I have said to him more than once: 'If you can get a railway through our town, I will give you a hundred pounds for the earliest information.' So you see, Mr. Brading, I am making you a valuable present, for I only heard this morning that the route is decidedly fixed at last, and the railway will be here before our sleepy old town can wake up from its astonishment."
Mr. Brading laughed. "I am not much interested in railway stock," he said, "or I might hurry to buy some shares in this. But now to return to the matter under discussion. I must have time to look at the whole matter fairly. I make it a rule, both in the management of my business and the ruling of my life, to do as far as I possibly can to other people as I should wish them, and could fairly expect them, to do if I were in their place and they were in mine. Now you see, in dealing with this lad, I have to put myself in the place of his father, and ask myself what I could reasonably expect if he were my Jack."
"But, Mr. Brading, that notion is absurd! You never could be an idle spendthrift like Charles Murray, living on expectations and credit and—"
"Ah!" suddenly interrupted Mr. Brading. "The expectations were founded on this very railway we have been talking about."
"Very likely," said the lady shortly, rising from her seat as she spoke. "But it can make no difference to them now, for the waste and extravagance that have been going on for years and years have eaten up their land. And so the best thing for Arthur is to go to London, and if you can force him to do this, I am sure it will be a kindness to him if you could only think so."
"Then I may tell the lad that this is your advice, my lady?" said Mr. Brading, looking keenly at her.
"Oh no!" she almost screamed. "You must not mention my name in it. But I may tell you that I shall be compelled to press that matter about Andrews' cheque, if it is not found in a day or two."
"Andrews' cheque?" repeated Mr. Brading in a mystified tone.
"Yes, yes; Andrews the lawyer, I mean. It was the cheque I sent to you. It happened this way. I wanted a vest for my son, and had written the order and said I enclosed a cheque for five pounds, and then I could not find my cheque-book. My son was waiting to post my letter for me, and I remembered that I had this cheque sent by Mr. Andrews, and took it out of my pocket and endorsed it, and put that in to save further bother."
"Did your son see you sign this cheque, my lady?" asked Mr. Brading.