ing about it!' he repeated. 'My girl,
when anyone borrows a million sovereigns the whole world knows about it.
Do you reckon that I can go up to the Governors of the Bank of England
and say, "Look here, lend Theodore Racksole a million for a few weeks,
and he'll give you an IOU and a covering note on stocks"?'

'But you could get it?' she asked again.

'If there's a million in London I guess I could handle it,' he replied.

'Well, Dad,' and she put her arms round his neck, 'you've just got to
go out and fix it. See? It's for me. I've never asked you for anything
really big before. But I do now. And I want it so badly.'

He stared at her. 'I award you the prize,' he said, at length. 'You
deserve it for colossal and immense coolness. Now you can tell me the
true inward meaning of all this rigmarole. What is it?'

'I want it for Prince Eugen,' she began, at first hesitatingly, with
pauses.

'He's ruined unless he can get a million to pay off his debts. He's
dreadfully in love with a Princess, and he can't marry her because of
this.

Her parents wouldn't allow it. He was to have got it from Sampson Levi,
but he arrived too late--owing to Jules.'

'I know all about that--perhaps more than you do. But I don't see how it
affects you or me.'

'The point is this, Dad,' Nella continued. 'He's tried to commit
suicide--he's so hipped. Yes, real suicide. He took laudanum last night.
It didn't kill him straight off--he's got over the first shock, but he's
in a very weak state, and he means to die. And I truly believe he will
die. Now, if you could let him have that million, Dad, you would save
his life.'

Nella's item of news was a considerable and disconcerting surprise to
Racksole, but he hid his feelings fairly well.

'I haven't the least desire to save his life, Nell. I don't overmuch
respect your Prince Eugen. I've done what I could for him--but only for
the sake of seeing fair play, and because I object to conspiracies and
secret murders.

It's a different thing if he wants to kill himself. What I say is: Let
him.

Who is responsible for his being in debt to the tune of a million
pounds? He's only got himself and his bad habits to thank for that. I
suppose if he does happen to peg out, the throne of Posen will go to
Prince Aribert. And a good thing, too! Aribert is worth twenty of his
nephew.'

'That's just it, Dad,' she said, eagerly following up her chance.
'I want you to save Prince Eugen just because Arib