“What will you loan me on this?” she asked.
“What is it?”
“It is a novel in manuscript. I should like a hundred dollars, please.”
The clerk looked at her sharply as if questioning her sanity.
“A hundred dollars!” he repeated.
“Yes; I expect to get five hundred for it. Surely a fifth of that sum is not too much to ask.”
“We have no use for such articles.”
“If you would kindly read the first few chapters, sir, I think you would see that it had a marked value. Probably I shall redeem it in a few days.”
“Better take it to a publisher and obtain an advance on it. It is out of our line.”
“I wouldn’t mind paying a little extra interest on the loan,” said the young lady, persuasively.