“Not till he promises to say nothing about this,” said Hawkesbury.
“He knows what to expect if he doesn’t!” said Masham.
“After all,” said Hawkesbury, “we didn’t mean to hurt you; Masham and I only wanted to settle some horse-racing and other scores, and as the papers were all in my desk, we were bound to use the office, and of course I couldn’t ask him round any other time. If you’d been half a gentleman, Batchelor, you would have left us at once.”
“I don’t believe you,” I replied. “What did you want in the partners’ room, I should like to know, eh?”
“What!” exclaimed Hawkesbury, in a rage. “We were never there, were we, Masham?”
“Never knew there was a partners’ room,” said Masham, “and if there had been, what if we had been in it?”
“We were in the counting-house all the time,” said Hawkesbury. Then he added, “But come down now, and take my advice, Batchelor, and don’t ruin yourself.”
“Ruin myself!” cried I, with a scornful laugh; “I don’t see how letting the partners know your goings on would ruin me.”
“You’ll see!” was the reply.
He doubtless considered the threat enough, but, knowing as I did that Jack had told the partners everything Hawkesbury could possibly tell, I could afford to treat it with contempt.