'Yes, I suppose it is.'
'You see, our option is running along; every day we lose is so much taken off our chances of success. Have you anything to propose?'
'I'll tell you what I thought of doing. You know young Longworth spoke to me a good deal about the mine at one time. His cousin introduced me to him, and she seemed to think he might take some interest in forming the company. I was to have a talk with you, because Longworth gave it as his opinion that the amount should be put at two hundred thousand pounds rather than at fifty thousand pounds.'
Wentworth gave a long whistle.
'Yes, it seems a very large amount; but he claims that if it would pay ten per cent. on that sum—if we could show that there was a reasonable chance of its paying so much—we could put it at two hundred thousand.'
'Well, that looks reasonable. What else did he say?'
'He did not say very much more about it, because I told him I should have to consult you.'
'And why didn't you? On board ship there was one of the best opportunities we could have had of having a talk with him. In fact, the whole matter might perhaps have been arranged there.'
'Oh, well, you know, I couldn't talk to you about it, because a certain circumstance arose, and you spent your time very much in the forward part of the steamer, sitting on a coil of rope and cursing the universe generally and yourself in particular'.
'Ah, yes, I remember, of course—yes. Very well, then, you have not seen young Longworth since, have you?'