“Surely, Mrs. Hillmer, you do not suspect me of being a dun. Perish the thought! You could never be in debt to me.”
“Very nice of you. Don’t you represent those people on Leadenhall Street, then?”
“What people?”
“Messrs. Dodge & Co.”
“No; why do you ask?”
“Because my brother entered into what he called a ‘deal’ with them. He underwrote some shares in a South African mine, as a nominal affair, he told me, and now they want him to pay for them because the company is not supported by the public.”
“No, I do not represent Dodge & Co.”
“Is there something else then? Whom do you represent?”
“To be as precise as permissible, I may say that my inquiries in no sense affect financial matters.”
“What then?”