“Oh, yes! You need not go, Crampton,” said Van Heldre. “Sit down, Luke.”
“No, thankye. Sit too much for my health now. Come; out with it. What do you want? There is something?”
“Yes, there is something,” said Van Heldre quietly. “Look here, my dear Luke Vine.”
“Thought as much,” sneered the old man. “You want to borrow money, my dear Van Heldre.”
“No; I want to pay money, Luke Vine. It seems that you have returned that five hundred pounds to Crampton.”
“What five hundred pounds?”
“The money you—there, we will not dwell upon that old trouble, my dear Luke. Come; you know what I mean.”
“Oh, I see,” said the old man with much surprise. “That five hundred pounds. Well, what about it?”
“How could you be so foolish as to return my cheque?”
“Because you didn’t owe me the money.”