“But he will not wait. He threatens to expose you if the matter is not settled at once.”
“Pooh! what is there to expose? Every fellow gets in debt more or less. Tailors have to wait. Every fellow gets behind for his togs.”
“Yes; but he does not forge his cousin’s name when he wants money.”
“What?” roared Mark, shaken for the moment. “Here,” he cried, seizing Richard by the arm, after a glance round to see if they were alone, “what does this mean?”
“It means this,” cried Richard passionately, “that your creditor has been to me this morning, and has just left me, after showing me how you have disgraced the good old name of Frayne.”
“I? How?”
“How?” cried Richard, whose voice was husky from emotion; “by writing my name to the cheque for the money you borrowed, telling the man it was for me.”
“Well, so it was!” cried Mark, seizing him by the other shoulder and shaking him. “No backing out now!”
“What?”
“You had it nearly all. And, if it has come to this, we’ll have it all out now. What do you mean about the cheque?”