"Well, they say he is strange; does not see people; does not open letters; and is evidently suffering from some mental distress."
"Yes."
"And when such a man as Gabriel Cassilis is in mental distress, money is at the bottom of it."
"Generally. Not always."
"It was against my advice that you invested any of your money by his direction."
"I invested the whole of it; and all Phillis's too. Mr. Cassilis has the investment of our little all," Lawrence added, laughing.
But the lawyer looked grave.
"Don't do it," he said; "get it in your own hands again; let it lie safely in the three per cents. What has a pigeon like you to do among the City hawks? And Miss Fleming's money, too. Let it be put away safely, and give her what she wants, a modest and sufficient income without risk."
"I believe you are right, Jagenal. In fact, I am sure you are right. But Cassilis would have it. He talked me into an ambition for good investments which I never felt before. I will ask him to sell out for me, and go back to the old three per cents. and railway shares—which is what I have been brought up to. On the other hand, you are quite wrong about his mental distress. That is—I happen to know—you are a lawyer and will not talk—it is not due to money matters; and Gabriel Cassilis is, for what I know, as keen a hand as ever at piling up the dollars. The money is all safe; of that I am quite certain."
"Well, if you think so—But don't let him keep it," said Joseph the Doubter.