“I’ll send it all down—though I’m devilish sorry,” continued Potts. “How much? why, see here;” and he penciled down the following figures on a piece of paper, which he showed to Clark:
California Company.................£100,000
Mexican bonds ..................... 50,000
Guatemala do. ..................... 50,000
Venezuela do. ..................... 50,000
————
£250,000
“What do you think of that, my boy?” said Potts.
“Well,” returned Clark, cautiously, “I don’t like them American names.”
“Why,” said Potts, “the stock is at a premium. I’ve been getting from twenty to twenty-five per cent. dividends. They’ll sell for three hundred thousand nearly. I’ll sell them all. I’ll sell them all,” he cried. “I’ll have gold enough to put a stop to this sort of thing forever.”
“I thought you had some French and Russian bonds,” said Clark.
“I gave those to that devil who had the—the papers, you know. He consented to take them, and I was very glad, for they paid less than the others.”
Clark was silent.
“Why, man, what are you thinking about? Don’t you know that I’m good for two millions, what with my estate and my stock?”
“But you owe an infernal lot.”