"At present? No, McKenna, I cannot give you the name of the person that pledged the ring with me. The case seems very complex to me—much more than you may believe; and as nothing is legally charged I prefer to keep my relations confidential."
"Mr. Mapleson, can you answer this?"
"What?"
"Is your refusal because you believe the intention of the person who pledged it is to restore it to its owner?"
Mapleson turned the question over a long time, whistling softly to himself. Finally he said:
"I don't know. I know nothing."
"Can you tell me the amount you advanced on the ring?"
"Yes; I think I can tell you that," he said, after a moment's thought. "I advanced twenty-eight thousand dollars."
"Twenty-eight?" said McKenna, lifting his eyebrows. "Twenty-eight on a ring worth only thirty thousand?"
"It was not a business transaction—entirely," said Mapleson stiffly.