"Ah, I see what you're getting at——"
"You will admit that what I say is true?"
"Yes——"
"You'll admit also, if you're reasonable, that the money which founded your great fortune was as a matter of fact not yours but Ben Cameron's——?"
"But why speak of him now?" muttered the old man.
"Do you admit this?"
McGuire frowned and then growled, "How can I help admitting it, since you know the facts? But I don't see——"
"Well then, admitting that the 'Tarantula' mine was Ben Cameron's and not yours or Hawk Kennedy's, it seems clear that if any of Ben Cameron's heirs should turn up unexpectedly, they might claim at least a share of what should have been their own."
McGuire had started forward in his chair, his gaze on Peter's face, as the truth was suddenly borne in upon him.
"You mean, Nichols, that——." He paused and gasped as Peter nodded.