“Have you read my letter in the same friendly spirit in which I wrote it?” she asked, when they were alone again.
“I have read your letter gratefully, but—”
“But you don’t know yet what I have to say. Let us understand each other before we make any objections on either side. Will you tell me what your present position is—at its worst? I can and will speak plainly when my turn comes, if you will honor me with your confidence. Not if it distresses you,” she added, observing him attentively.
He was ashamed of his hesitation—and he made amends for it.
“Do you thoroughly understand me?” he asked, when the whole truth had been laid before her without reserve.
She summed up the result in her own words.
“If your overdue ship returns safely, within a month from this time, you can borrow the money you want, without difficulty. If the ship is lost, you have no alternative (when the end of the month comes) but to accept a loan from me or to suspend payment. Is that the hard truth?”
“It is.”
“And the sum you require is—twenty thousand pounds?”
“Yes.”