“Go on, then.”
“I will make it worth your while to give me these bonds,” said Tom, with emphasis.
“You! How can that be? I have taken all your money, except the few dollars I had the consideration to leave you. Of what other funds have you command?”
“I represent Mr. Armstrong,” said Tom. “It is important that he should recover these securities. I am authorized to offer a large sum for them.”
“But why should I let them go, when I can obtain their whole value.”
“You can’t,” said Tom boldly.
“Why not?”
“For the same reason that they have been useless to the clerk who took them. They cannot be negotiated.”
“Are you sure of that?”
“I am. The authorities have an accurate list of them all. Information has also been sent to the different institutions and corporations represented. Whoever undertakes to raise money on them is liable to arrest.”