“You do not mean that?”
“Indeed I do; I have no intention of losing sixpence, if I can help it. I have never lost money by a company yet, and I do not purpose beginning now.”
“But it is so confoundedly mean to desert a failing cause.”
“I never made any pretension to Quixotism. The moment Frank said he had written to the Times, I made up my mind to sell; and, if you were wise, you would sell also.”
“No; I shall not adopt that course,” said Mr. Stewart; but he did not tell his nephew what course he intended to adopt.
“It will be a bad business for Dudley, if anything should go wrong with the Protector,” remarked Mr. Croft, after an uncomfortable pause. “He has mortgaged Berrie Down.”
“Surely not!” exclaimed Mr. Stewart.
“Surely yes,” was the reply. “Old Craddock has advanced five thousand pounds upon it at four and a half—good interest too, I call that, on security good as the Bank of England.”
“I wish I had heard of it.”
“So do I,” was the reply; “but my lawyer knew nothing about the matter till it was all settled.”