“We must pick out the right time. To-night you can consult with Mrs. C. Then if Mr. Benton carries out his plan, and opens the chest, no harm will be done.”
“I hope he will,” said Tom. “I should like to watch the fellow’s face, and see how disappointed he will look.”
When Tom and Grant met Benton in the evening, it was difficult for them to treat him as usual. Tom had a strong desire, as he afterward told Grant, to seize Benton and shake the life out of him.
“Did you have a good day, gentlemen?” asked Benton nonchalantly.
“Oh, so, so! We didn’t come across a bonanza.”
“I have, but I can’t avail myself of it.”
“You refer to the restaurant?”
“Yes; I am afraid it will slip out of my hands if I don’t raise five hundred dollars within a week.”
“Have you any scheme for raising it?” asked Tom Cooper.
“Well, no, not exactly. I hope to find some one who will lend me the money. If you and Grant, now——”