“Oh, not you alone, sir, but all the mines together. I didn’t know but what ‘The Lucky Find’ had a share in it, as the sayin’ goes.”
Barnes caught his breath. Then he carefully lathered one ear. It didn’t need lathering any more than his shoes. It was something of an automatic movement.
“Let me see,” he asked quietly, “how much stock did you have?”
“Not much, sir. I haven’t saved as much as I might. But when I saw the papers you sent on to the mistress, I mailed what I had. It was only a thousand, sir.”
“Yes, I remember now. A thousand dollars.”
Barnes turned back to the mirror. He wiped the lather from his ear.
“Bring my trousers, John.”
The man obeyed.
“Reach in the right hand side pocket.”
John brought out two five-dollar bills.