take it!--I've let Rogers see, lately, that 'Bias
and I had dissolved partnership and burnt the papers! 'Twouldn't take
more than that to persuade Rogers he was quit of the old obligation
towards 'Bias--himself in difficulties too, and 'Bias's money under his
hand.'

--'Good Lord! . . . Suppose the fellow even allowed to himself that he
was _helping_ me! If Mrs Bosenna--?'

At this point Cai came to a full stop, appalled. Be it repeated that
neither he nor 'Bias had wooed Mrs Bosenna for her wealth; nor until now
had her wealth presented itself to either save in comfortable
after-thought.

Cai sat very still for a while. Then drawing quickly at his pipe, he
found that it was smoked out. He arose to tap the bowl upon the bars of
the grate. But they were masked and muffled by Mrs Bowldler's screen of
shavings, and he wandered to the open window to knock out the ashes upon
the slate ledge. Returning to the fireplace, he reached out a hand for
the tobacco-jar, but arrested it, and laying his pipe down on the table,
did something clean contrary to habit.

He went to the cupboard, fetched out decanter, water-jug, and glass, and
mixed himself a stiff brandy-and-water.

"Hullo!" said a voice outside the window. "I didn' know as you indulged
between meals."

It was Mr Philp, staring in.

"I heard you tappin' on the window-ledge, and I thought maybe you had
caught sight o' me," suggested Mr Philp.

"But I hadn't," said Cai, somewhat confused.

"I said to myself, 'He's beckonin' me in for a chat': and no wonder if
'tis true what they're tellin' down in the town."

"Well, I wasn't," said Cai, gulping his brandy-and-water hardily.
"But what are they tellin'?"

"There's some," mused Mr Philp, "as don't approve of solitary drinkin'.
Narrow-minded bodies _I_ call 'em. When a man is in luck's way, who's
to blame his fillin' a glass to it--though some o' course prefers to
call in their naybours; an' _that's_ a good old custom too."

Cai ignored the hint. "What are they tellin' down in the town?"

"All sorts o' things, from mirth to mournin'. They say, for instance,
as you and the Widow have fixed it all up to be married this side o'
Jubilee."

"That's a lie, anyway."

"And others will have it as the engagement's broken off by reason of
your losin' all your money in Johnny Rogers's smash?"

"And that," said Cai, "is just as true as the other. But who says that
Rogers has gone smash?"

"Everyone. I tackl