“Then why not tell me the amount?”
He shook his head.
“Such matters are for Mr. Croyden,” he said.
“Just assume that Mr. Croyden cannot pay,” she insisted. “Are we not to be given a chance to find the cash?” 313
“Mr. Croyden can pay.”
“But assume that he cannot,” she reiterated, “or won’t—it’s the same result.”
“In that event, you——”
“Would be given the opportunity,” she broke in.
He bowed.
“Then why not let us consider the matter in the first instance?” she asked. “The money is the thing. It can make no difference to you whence it comes—from Mr. Croyden or from me.”