"He would, ma'am, he would!" agreed Starmidge.
"He'd take particular good care of that, ma'am," added Easleby. "They always do—in such cases."
"Yes," said Mrs. Lester, "but, you see, when my husband died, he did not leave Guy anything at all! He left everything to me. So Guy had nothing to pay the money-lender with. Then, of course, the money-lender began to press him, and in the end Guy was obliged to come and tell me all about it. That was only a few weeks ago. And it was very bad news, because the man claimed much—very much—more money than he had ever advanced. His demands were outrageous!"
Starmidge gave Mrs. Lester a keen glance, and realized an idea of her innocence in financial matters.
"Ah!" he observed, "they are very grasping, ma'am, some of these money-lenders! How much was this particular one asking of your son, now?"
"He demanded between fourteen and fifteen thousand pounds," replied Mrs. Lester. "An abominable demand!—for my son assured me that at the very outside he had not had more than seven or eight thousand."
"And—what happened, ma'am?" inquired Starmidge sympathetically. "The man pestered you, of course!"
"Guy made him one or two offers," answered Mrs. Lester. "Of course I would have made them good—to get rid of the affair. It was no use—he had papers and things signed by Guy—who had borrowed all the money since he came of age—and he refused to abate a penny. The last time that Guy called on him, he told him flatly that he would have his fifteen thousand to the last shilling. It was, of course, extortion!"
Starmidge and Easleby exchanged looks. Both felt that they were on the very edge of a discovery.
"To be sure, ma'am," asserted Starmidge. "Absolute extortion! And—what is the name of the money-lending gentleman?"