“Against the house.”
“It cannot be.”
“I’m afraid it’s true. This man is my friend, and I have been keeping near him for a purpose, and that purpose the salvation of the good name of Lamont.”
A strange and eager light seemed to come into the millionaire’s eyes, and for half a second he did not continue.
“Sit down,” he said. “Tell me what this man knows.”
Claude went back to the chair.
“He knows a good deal more than we can afford to let him tell,” he said. “I don’t say that Richmond will tell the secret on the street or anything of that kind, but we can’t afford to let him have the opportunity.”
“In God’s name, what is the secret?”
“Of course he never told me, but I only guess at it from hints he has dropped while in his cups. It’s a terrible thing, if it’s true—a fearful secret, father.”
“Out with it. I am strong, you see, and can listen to any recital you make.”