'Exactly. Well, I'm afraid you've had your trip for nothing.'
'What do you mean? Is not the mine all I said it was?'
'Oh, the mine is all right; all I meant was, there was really no necessity for your coming.'
'But, you know, the option ends in a very short time.'
'Well, the option, like the mine, is all right. I think you might quite safely have left it in my hands.'
It must be admitted that John Kenyon began to feel he had acted with unreasonable rashness in taking his long voyage.
'Is Mr. Melville here with you?'
'Melville has returned home. He had not time to stay longer. All he wanted was to satisfy himself about the mine. He was satisfied, and he has gone home. If you were in London now, you would be able to see him.'
'Did you meet Mr. Von Brent?'
'Yes, he took us to the mine.'