"You have forced me to go against my conscience," he said, unfolding a big paper.
Toney could not help laughing as she sat down with alacrity to sign.
"I've kept a sufficiency," he said; "don't try me too much."
"You are really nice," she answered, signing her full name with a flourish whilst two clerks came to witness the signature and retired, little guessing what they had helped to do.
"I've endowed Stone House with £30,000 a year. That will be ample for a whole colony. The money you gave to Lady Dove has taken a slice of the capital, and you have lived in fine style since then! Then the building will take another large slice."
"When Aunt Dove dies I want you to settle the £2,000 on Miss Maud Hamilton," said Toney. "She is a great friend of mine and poor. Oh, I've had a glorious time, Mr. Staines, but I knew it was only for a time. St. Francis never kept things with the excuse of giving them away again."
"Hang St. Francis!"
Toney laughed, and Mr. Staines could not help smiling.
"Well, good-bye, I've got to catch a train, and please, Mr. Staines, will you accept a little personal present? Not the firm—— Just to show you forgive me, and I won't say how you are to spend it! Oh, it's from me and the General."
Then like a strange gleam of unearthly sunshine Toney was gone. Mr. Staines opened the envelope and discovered a cheque for a thousand pounds. From another client it is doubtful if he would have accepted it, but a strange smile passed over his face.