“Yes—and another hundred the next day, which isn't down,” rejoined the young man, running his eye over the list.
“Borrowed it?”
“Yes, of course—for Gilbert. He got into a card scrape at the tavern and I helped him out. I told my father all about it and he said I had done just right; that I must always help a friend out in a case like that, and that he'd pay it. All he objected to was my borrowing it of a tradesman instead of my coming to him.” It was an age of borrowing and a bootmaker was often better than a banker.
“Well—but why didn't you go to him?” He wanted to get at all the facts.
“There wasn't time. Gilbert had to have the money in an hour, and it was the only place where I could get it.”
“Of course there wasn't time—never is when the stakes are running like that.” St. George folded up the memorandum. He knew something of Talbot's iron will, but he never supposed that he would lose his sense of what was right and wrong in exercising it. Again he opened the list—rather hurriedly this time, as if some new phase had struck him—studied it for a moment, and then asked with an increased interest in his tones:
“Did Gilbert give you back the money you loaned him?”
“Yes—certainly; about a month afterward.” Here at least was an asset.
St. George's face lighted up. “And what did you do with it?”
“Took it to my father and he told me to use it; that he would settle with Mr. Slater when he paid his account;—when, too, he would thank him for helping me out.”