"And it wasn't paid because Mr. Wardell bought other stock that proved worthless. Is that it?"
"That's about it, Dick."
"And Uncle Ezra sold Mr. Wardell this worthless stock?"
"Well, his representatives did. But look here, Dick, your uncle didn't force Mr. Wardell to buy this worthless stock, you know. Mr. Wardell did that with his eyes open."
"I know, but he didn't know it was worthless?"
"Probably not."
"And Uncle Ezra did?"
"Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say that. There is a lot of stock in the market that is practically worthless, but which is sold with the best intentions in the world. It may be worth a fortune some day."
"All right. Anyhow, Mr. Wardell gave up some good stock, got bad stock, and lost his good stock."